Help for Your Hard DaysSample

God Will Give You True Peace and Rest

“What’s going to happen?”

“How will this work out?”

“Do I have the strength to get through this?”

Questions like this swirl inside his mind at the end of a hard day. His head is on a pillow, but his heart is in another place. One that’s filled with fear, anxiety, and uncertainty.

We’ve all had nights like this one. We stare at the clock as the minutes pass by and sigh, “I used to be able to sleep like a baby.” That phrase has always sounded a little odd to me because I have lots of friends with kids, and, well, their babies never seem to sleep as much as the moms and dads would like. But I think that saying comes from what happens when infants do drift off to dreamland in the arms of those who love them. Their little faces are full of peace, and often what would wake many of us doesn’t disturb their slumber.

Babies sleep when they know they are secure. They sleep when they’re confident their needs will be met. The sleep of a child is an act of trust because they’re completely vulnerable—helpless and defenseless.

It’s this kind of trust that the psalmist shows when he says, “In peace I will lie down and sleep. For you alone, Lord, make me dwell in safety” (Ps. 4:8). In other words, “I know where my security comes from, and it’s from you, God.” Like a little child, David knows whose arms will hold him. He knows who will watch over him. He knows he’s in the care of One who can be believed.

Hard days can tempt us to place our security where God never intended it to be. We grasp at money, relationships, or even self-reliance to make us feel safe. It’s a human response to reach out for what’s tangible and what seems like it will give us peace. We try to find a way to stay standing. We want to hold on to what’s in front of us with all our might. And yet this verse extends an entirely different invitation than what our minds are screaming at us to do: it invites us to “lie down and sleep” in peace.

In other words, release control. Realize that you can’t keep yourself safe. You can’t fix this problem. You can’t be strong enough on your own. Yes, you can partner with God, but in the same way a baby partners with a parent—in trust, obedience, and surrender. Next time you want to stay up and strive, lie down in peace instead. It’s a strange paradox. It’s often in the moments when we feel weakest and most vulnerable that God exerts his strength on our behalf.

Lay your head on his chest. Tell him you’re afraid and weary. Tell him what you need. Then let your heart rest. You are in God’s care, and your security is with him—the One who will never let you go, who can keep you through the darkest night until the dawn.

God, sometimes I’m weary and afraid. I need you to comfort me and be my security. Please help me rest in you. Hold me close and fill me with peace in the way only you can. Amen.