Dawn Wilson

Statistics indicate the average person, who lives roughly 79 years on Earth, spends about 26 of those years sleeping, plus seven more years trying to get to sleep. Sleep boosts the well-being of every aspect of our lives, and lacking sleep can damage our ability to function well. God knew what He was doing when He designed us to need sleep!

Why Did God Create Us to Require Sleep? 

In the beginning of time, God ordained deep sleep for Adam (Genesis 2:20-22). As people sleep, God does good things in and for them—like making a wife for Adam! The human need for sleep is a reminder of our limitations and dependence on the Lord. Sleep is humbling, because it shows us our fragility. 

Rest—taking a break from labors—is important, and God illustrated the priority of rest when He paused from His creative work on the seventh day of Creation (Genesis 2:1-3). He built a pattern of rest into His creation. 

As a gift from God, sleep is pleasant and it is sustaining. As people sleep, the sovereign God works to help bodies rest, energize, and heal for greater efficiency during waking hours. Sleep is part of a healthy lifestyle as well as an act of faith in God’s providence and protection. A desire for healthy rest and sleep should characterize God’s children. Also, in the Bible God sometimes spoke to people through dreams and visions.

God is able to grant sleep even in the challenging and tumultuous circumstances of life. Jesus slept in the midst of storm because His trust was in His Father, not the circumstances of life (Matthew 8:23-27). He believed the Father would keep His Anointed One safe.

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When we experience conviction of sin, we may not realize it shows us something powerful: God loves us! In love, He convicts sinners of their need for salvation, and His rebuke and discipline toward believers, bringing conviction, stem from the Father’s loving concern.

God could allow His children to continue in sin without conviction, but He knows how damaging that would be. “Sin leads to destruction. God doesn’t want that for us,” Nancy DeMoss Wolgemuth said. “He’ll even wound us temporarily if that’s what it takes to move us to action. If you’re experiencing conviction about some sin, it’s an evidence that God loves you.”

Our loving Father God wants what is best for us, much like a caring human parent, but more so. Actress Priscilla Shirer says she prays that her sons will feel convicted when they’re doing wrong. 

The actress shared, “One of the prayers I have prayed for my sons for a long time is, ‘Lord, would you let the weight of conviction be so heavy on them that when they are trying to do wrong, they actually can’t because there’s such a gut level feeling of discomfort? They can’t rest well; their gut feels uneasy, so they can’t even enjoy food — like everything is just so uneasy.”

When under conviction, remember that God loves you enough to make you uneasy about sin.

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Anticipation of life with God in eternity can encourage hope for many profound reasons. Our hope in Christ begins on earth at salvation, but we also anticipate a time in the future when other benefits of our “blessed hope” will be realized.

Here are seven reasons our hope can increase in light of eternity.

1. Our Hope Is Rooted

This is the crucial truth to understand. The Apostle Paul wrote, “If in this life only we have hope in Christ, we are of all men most miserable” (1 Corinthians 15:19). In other words, hope in this world is good, but if it’s all we have, Paul says we’re to be pitied. He wanted the Corinthians to understand how much more they could anticipate in eternity because of their relationship with Christ.

The Christian’s hope is more than wishful thinking. Hope is solidly rooted in the truth of God’s saving love. We live in “alert expectancy” because of all God pours into our lives (Romans 5:5). 

Our “living hope” for eternity is generated in us — the new birth — through Christ's resurrection (1 Peter 1:3). It’s a hope firmly established in Christ's faithfulness, and we are to hold on unswervingly to that hope (Hebrews 10:23) because we cannot save ourselves.

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God the Father, God the Son, and God the Spirit are all creative forces, and everything God creates is good. Since we are created in God’s image and are meant to imitate Him, it follows that God can inspire us to develop personal creative expression. Creativity is one of the good gifts God gives to His children. Our creativity is simply a reflection of His.

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Think about it. The “good news of great joy” (Luke 2:10) did not end with Jesus in a cattle manger. The Good News continued with Jesus on the cross and His resurrection. As Canadian theologian and pastor Tim Challies wrote, “What gives December 25 its value is that Jesus is alive.” That truth is for every day, not just Christmas Day.

The Good News continues even today as countless people receive by faith what Jesus has done for them (John 3:16; Acts 4:12; John 1:12). And after Christmas, we can still say, “Thanks be to God for His indescribable gift!” (2 Corinthians 9:15). 

John Duncan at Lifeway noted, “Christmas should ignite the soul with a passion for God.” Our passion for God should overflow into a passion for lost souls.

Determine to share the powerful Gospel message, especially in the days after Christmas when people might feel an emotional letdown. They may feel lonely, worn out, worried about debt, stressed out, hopeless, or depressed. This is the perfect time to give them a reason for hope and joy! Emulate the shepherds who praised God “for all they had heard and seen” (Luke 2:20). Reach out in love and friendship to those who hurt, and tell them about Jesus.

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