Here is a list of events from a burden, you guess the cause:
- It afflicts 70 million Americans and causes 38,000 deaths each year
- This burden annually costs $70 billion worth of productivity in the US
- Teens suffer from it. Studies show that 64% of teens blame it for poor school performance (I admit that I am part of this group!)
- Middle aged people face it. Studies show people between ages 30-50 have the most severe cases.
- Senior citizens are afflicted by it. One study suggests this condition impacts 50% of the over 65 population
- Treatments involve numerous things from mouth guards to herbal teas to medicine.
Insomnia.
American can't sleep. For a long time I thought insomnia was a joke, people just weren't trying hard enough. Like a lot of college kids, I had trouble staying awake more than anything. But about 2 weeks ago it hit me! I went to bed and just sat there. I closed my eyes, nothing happened. My mind kicked into high gear and I couldn't shut it off! Midnight passed, 1am, 2am, and my mind was full speed ahead. I had joined the 70 million other Americans who couldn't sleep.
It was awful.
People who work too much and don't sleep enough begin to carry a baggage of weariness. The real question: Why is American so tired? Well, have you opened a newspaper recently? Heart attacks, betrayal, credit card debts, lawsuits, custody battles, and the list will keep growing! These challenges scream in our face and they keep us awake.
Since we can't sleep, your body begins to develop a problem:
Our bodies are exhausted.
Think about it! 70 million Americans who can't sleep. What does that mean? 1/3 of our country is dozing off at work, napping in class, or sleeping at the wheel. Scary, huh? Did you know that 1500 road deaths per year are blamed on truck drivers without enough sleep? 30 tons of aspirin, sleeping pills, and tranquilizers are consumed EVERY DAY!
Our energy is gone. Empty. Doesn't exist.
I had a friend recently who told me about Thomas Edison. Edison claimed he could live off of 15 minute naps every 4 hours. I researched this and it amazes me people who idolize Edison for this. They think, "He's a genius!" And then people try to imitate his sleeping pattern. Somehow we forget think about Albert Einstein, who averaged 11 hours of sleep every night. In 1910, Americans slept about 9 hours a night. Today, we're stoked just to get 6-7 hours. And our bodies are tired because of it. Most important: Our souls are tired.
Question: Did you know that there is an animal that struggles with sleeping habits like humans do? Can you guess?
Sheep! For a sheep to sleep, everything has to be just perfect. There can't be bugs. They can't be hungry. The environment has to be calm. Sheep need help. They need a shepherd to lead them and "help them lie down in green pastures."
Important Observation: Without a shepherd, neither can we.
In Psalm 23:2, David paints us a picture. "He makes me lie down in green pastures; He leads me beside still waters."
Note the 2 pronouns preceding the 2 verbs:
He makes me...
He leads me...
Who is active? In charge? The shepherd. You see, the shepherd selects the trails. The shepherd prepares the pastures. What is the job of the sheep? Simple. To watch the shepherd. With our eyes focused upon our shepherd, we will be able to rest.
Isaiah 26:3: " You will keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on You."
As humans we have a developed a problem. When you look at a piece of blank white paper, what do you see?
Answer: White Paper
Now if I was to put a black dot in the center of the paper, what would you see?
Answer: A black dot.
We let the dark mark eclipse the white space. We see the crashing waves of life rather than a Savior walking through them. We focus entirely upon our own ablility to feed and clothe ourselves then on the One who can feed 5000 hungry people with almost nothing.
Change your focus! And relax.
Life can get so loud we sometimes forget to shut it down. Maybe that's why God made such a big deal about rest in the ten commandments. Read about it! Exodus 20. Of these 10 rules that God gave us, which one occupies the most space?
Murder? Adultery? Stealing? Curiously no. God only uses 5 words to talk about adultery and 4 to deal with murder and thieves.
When the topic of rest came up, on sentence just didn't cut it. (Exodus 20:8-11)
God uses 4 verses, an entire paragraph. Why? God knows us. He made us. Especially in this day of age. God wants to remind us to slow down. He was our prime example. He made creation in 6 days. Then He took a day off. His message in this example is simple: "If creation didn't crash when I took a day off, it won't crash when you do."
For us to remain healthy, we must rest. Slow down, God will bring rest to your mind, body, and soul. Let Him lead you to green pastures.
If you know much about the terrain of Judea, you know green pastures were not natural. The hills around Bethlehem where David kept his flock were not lush and green. They are dry and white. Any green pasture in Judea is the work of a shepherd. The shepherd cleared away the rough, rocky land. Stumps have been torn out. Brush has been burned. Irrigation. Cultivation. This is the work of a shepherd.
When David shays, "He makes me lie down in green pastures," he is really saying, "My shepherd makes me lie down in his finished work." With his own hands, Jesus created a pasture for our souls. He tore out the thorns of condemnation. He pried loose the boulders of sin. And in their place he panted seeds of grace and dug ponds of mercy.
And He invites us to rest.
Can you imagine the satisfaction of a shepherd after he sees his sheep resting in the pastures he created? His pasture is a gift to us.
Ephesians 2:8 " For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith - and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God."
Sorry this is long. Just stuff that has been on my heart.
Kit
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