Find rest, O my soul, in God alone; my hope comes from him.
Psalm 62:5

I am simply amazed by the number of products out there to help people sleep or rest. Between a huge number of sleep medications available, essential oils to help you sleep, and book after book on sleep, I get the feeling that we are having problems sleeping. Maybe it is too much coffee, which is kind of ironic because as I sit here writing this devotion, I am drinking a full cup of coffee. It is my second for the day.
Yet, I find that these sleep aids are only good for 24 hours at most. The medication wears off, the oil runs out, and we do not finish the book or forget what it says. Now, when we combine all these things with a very rapid lifestyle, where we are constantly going from place to place, the problem we have is increased. Of course, my friends who have PTSD mention that they cannot sleep because of the nightmares they are having.
I have to wonder if some of the problem is that we are not finding rest in the correct place. In other words, as the Psalmist tells us, we need to find rest in God as opposed to the TV or something else. There are two parts to this. To begin with, really the only time we rest is when we feel comfortable and safe. Truthfully I never rest on a plane because at 6’ 5”, it is impossible to be comfortable, and the memories of my first flight, where one of the engines caught on fire, over the Atlantic makes me question my safety. However, we can always feel safe when we are with God. The image I have is a baby sitting in the lap of a parent, and holding onto a piece of clothing. That image carries over to us sitting with God, holding onto him. Moreover, rest comes from praying to God. In other words, take the time to be quiet, and reveal your joys and concerns to the Holy. Know that you are heard and that God is concerned for you. Rest in that reality.
Practically, if you are having trouble sleeping, try a little exercise called the breath prayer. While you are lying in bed, take a deep breath in. As you are inhaling say a one sentence prayer, in your mind like God help me sleep. Then as you exhale say something in your mind like so I can rest. Do that ten times or so and your body will respond.