Awake at 4 AM

I rarely have trouble falling asleep, but if I awaken during the night, I have difficulty getting back to sleep.  Especially if there is something stressful going on in my life that my brain thinks it needs to "work on."  As much as one portion of my brain shouts at the other that the middle of the night is not the time to ponder possible solutions to some dilemma, the other portion just keeps cranking out ideas.  Tonight I have not one, not two, not three, but four major issues, any one of which could keep me awake.  Dealing with one of these problems over the next few days is potentially going to prevent me from dealing with the others.


So...how to cope?


Before I went to sleep last night, I followed my normal habit of reading out of the Bible.  I do not usually read more that a chapter, but last night I got into the story in Numbers 22-24, which by the way, includes a talking donkey.  As interesting as that is, what stood out to me was a message from God spoken through the prophet Balaam.


God is not a man, that he should lie,
Nor the son of man, that he should change his mind.
Does he speak and then not act?
Does he promise and not fulfill?


Can I trust God to take the necessary actions to solve my problems?  Can I believe that He is already working?  Will He give me the guidance to come up with the right solutions, at the right time?  Will He give me the peace to wait for His leading?


Does he speak and then not act?  Does he promise and not fulfill?


Back to bed I go.

Let There Be Light

Invisible to the eye,

Unseen,

Until He spoke,

“Let there be light.”

Out of the swirling void,

Chaos,

Until He spoke,

“Let there be light.”

An orderly universe,

Substance,

When He spoke,

“Let there be light.”

Agony of soul,

Turmoil,

Until He spoke,

“Let there be light.”

Pervasive peace,

Rest,

When He spoke,

“Let there be light.”

By faith we understand that the universe was formed at God’s command, so that what is seen was not made out of what was visible.  Hebrews 11:3

And God said, “Let there be light….”  Genesis 1:3

Light in my world…light in my soul, I take this step of faith.  Nor do I feel that I must leave my intellect behind.  Science recognizes dark matter and dark energy…unseen by man.  By faith, I believe in an all-seeing God, who can, at His will, extract from His vast reserves of matter and energy that which is seeable and knowable by man.

I believe that He created time and space, and although He encompasses it, He chose to step into it to redeem man and restore fellowship between Himself and man.

By faith, I understand and accept His light in my soul.