We can feel alone, but to have someone there with us helps. He watches over me even in the dark of the night.
It’s the comfort of having someone there.
I know of a young man that has trouble getting to sleep. At times one of his parents has slept on a mattress next time.
It’s that assurance, that sense of presence, that knowing that they are not alone.
A sick child is brought into the parents’ bedroom.
A loved one is not well, and maybe near death. Who will sit with them that they are not alone?
We want them to know that they are loved, held, known.
In your dark moments, who has been there for you?
Sadly, we may have no one to be physically there offering a personal presence to something feeling absent from our lives.
I live by myself and at times long for the physical/ spiritual connection of someone being close enough to hear sleepy murmurs.
He watches over me
Recently I have been listening to Psalms that have been put to music. I have created a Spotify playlist you might like to listen to.
As I listen to them many times, the words and music sink into my subconscious. I believe that they actually change the way my brain works.
I am creating new pathways.
The mind and brain takes shape from whatever it rests upon.
One of my favorite Psalms is Psalm 121.
I lift up my eyes to the mountains—
where does my help come from?
2 My help comes from the Lord,
the Maker of heaven and earth.
3 He will not let your foot slip—
he who watches over you will not slumber;
4 indeed, he who watches over Israel
will neither slumber nor sleep.
5 The Lord watches over you—
the Lord is your shade at your right hand;
6 the sun will not harm you by day,
nor the moon by night.
7 The Lord will keep you from all harm—
he will watch over your life;
8 the Lord will watch over your coming and going
both now and forevermore. Psalm 121
The Psalms Project has a beautiful rendition. Here is the YouTube version of this Psalm:
Psalms Project has released an Album Psalms for sleep, which you might find helpful.
I woke this morning with this quiet song singing in my spirit.
He watches over you
He never leaves you
He never leaves you
He never leaves you
How are you training your brain for sleep?
I believe we need to train the brain. It’s an act of having agency and personal responsibility.
One of the key practices I have found is to have a regular pattern to the way I approach the time to sleep.
I am training my brain for sleep.
If the brain could speak, then it would say something like this.
‘I know when it’s time for sleep because Barry does these things.
Showers, brushes teeth, closes blinds, journals, turns off lights.
I have also noticed that recently Barry has been listening to Psalm 121, and he reads sleep poetry.
This says to me, the brain, that it’s time to rest and switch into sleep mode.’
While I am at sleep, God is at work.
I have gotten out of the way for a while.
I go to sleep to get out of the way for a while.
While we sleep, great and marvelous things, far beyond our capacities to invent or engineer, are in process
– the moon making seasons,
the lion roaring for its prey,
the earthworms aerating the earth,
the stars turning in their courses,
the proteins repairing our muscles,
our dreaming brains restoring a deeper sanity beneath the gossip and scheming of our waking hours.
Eugene Peterson: Working the Angles: The Shape of Pastoral Integrity
In the morning, when my brain is refreshed and open, and God has done the night shift, one of the first things I do is to write a poem.
Here is this morning’s offering.
He watches
He watches
I feel alone
I feel anxious
Can you sit beside me
While I sleep
My brain is going everywhere
My mind is firing off
Hamster wheel is spinning
I want to turn it off
Breathe in your love
Breath out my fear
Sit beside ruler of the universe
Wipe away the child’s tears
He watches
He knows
He does what he alone can do
He asks me to pray my part
I fold myself into his care
Where does my help come from
I have mountains
That stare down at me
My help comes from Yahweh
Maker of heaven and earth
As I sleep
He watches
He moves mountains
He heals brain synapses
He whispers love songs into my storm
My self quietens
My soul rests
I find a place to trust for the day
He tells me
All will be well my child
All will be well
I’ve written quite a few posts about sleep. They are listed below, but I thought I would offer something new.
A class about sleep, and you don’t need to bring your pyjamas.
It will be given via zoom. If you don’t have Zoom, then please download it if you want to attend. Otherwise the video of the class will be posted on YouTube for you to view there.
Sleep Class
Topics
- The role of sleep in your day
- Sleep preparation
- Role of medication
- Prayers, poems, journaling.
- Training the brain for rest
- Praying for the subconscious
Details
Time:
Saturday 25th January 7-8:30 am Auckland, Wellington
Friday 24th January 1pm–2:30 pm EST
Friday 24th January 12pm CST
Friday 24th January 11am MST
Friday 24th January 10am PST
Friday 24th January 8pm SAST
Friday 24th January 6pm GMT
Cost and attendance
The cost of this class is a donation. ($3 US minimum). If you can’t afford this, please email and I will send you the links.
Monthly donors receive automatic access. Become a monthly donor.
Once registered, class members will receive a Zoom link to the class.
In-person attendance is not required.
The class will be recorded and available for later viewing on YouTube
Signup using the form below
If you have any questions or comments, please email me barry@turningthepage.co.nz
Quotes to consider
- All shall be well, and all shall be well, and all manner of thing shall be well. Julian of Norwich
- Something deep in human make up needs and longs for a taste of eternity–a momentary release from the relentless pace of time.
- The mind (and brain) takes its shape from what it rests upon. Rick Hanson Hardwiring Happiness: The New Brain Science of Contentment, Calm, and Confidence
- It’s hard to sleep when your heart is at war with your mind. R.H. Sin
Questions to answer
- What music do you listen to? Does it help you to sleep?
- When you wake in the middle of the night what helps you to calm the circus of monkeys chattering in your brain?
- Why, when someone is dying, do we feel a need that they should not be left alone?
Formation exercise
- Read the poem ‘He watches over you’ each night before going to bed. Journal about what you learn from it.
Further reading
Barry Pearman
Photo by Annie Spratt on Unsplash
Barry is a writer, coach, and course creator that has a passion for empowering Mental Health through Faith, Hope, and Love.
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