Welcome to Day 17 for a short powerful devotion from our 30 Psalms For Anxiety, Fear, Worry, And Depression bible plan. This short devotional is from Psalm 4:8. This Psalm begins the devotional study on Psalms for fear. Make sure to join me in prayer at the bottom of this post.
Read Psalm 4:8. Click on the verse to read it in various translations.
Psalm for sleep
Psalm 4:8 is my favorite bible verse about sleeping peacefully. It is the scripture I turn to help me sleep when too many thoughts are going around my mind. It reminds me that God is in charge of my today's and tomorrow's and that He has a plan.
Do you suffer from insomnia?
I have in the past and at times I still do but it is not as bad as it has been. I have found the secret to sleeping peacefully and David the psalmist shared his secret with me and it's right there for you too!
So first of all to sleep peacefully at night, you need to reduce your sugar and caffeine intake during the day. Get exercise and drink plenty of water early in the day if possible. Maybe take a warm bath and reduce screen time before bed. That is an easy part of the solution to sleeping peacefully. The harder part is when you lay your head on your pillow.
What happens to you when you lay your head on the pillow?
Do you find that you think about your day, all that you did, and all that you said?
And maybe you are a little like me wondering should you have done anything differently. Then you probably start thinking about tomorrow and all that you have to do. It is hard to stop all these thoughts from going around and around your mind.
But, David has some wise advice about how to sleep in peace that will encourage your heart and help you to hand over to God all that stress that builds up in the day and it takes care of your worries about tomorrow. We read all through the psalms and in the book of Samuel about David and the times of extreme stress that he went through.
Right from the time that David was a shepherd boy, he enjoyed a close relationship with God. He knew how to practice His presence. Being in a right relationship with God enabled him to place his trust confidently in God to keep him safe during the night even when he was in hiding from his enemies. Instead of tossing and turning at night, David tossed his burdens on the Lord. David knew God and had seen evidence of His mighty work in his life over and over again. So he could confidently say in Psalm 4:8, "In peace, I will lie down and sleep".
You will also love what David says in Psalm 3:5,
David had confidence in God to protect him from his enemies and you can have this confidence too!
You are God's treasure and He has good plans for your life. We all get scared and lose our way. We all need this reminder from David, "In peace, I will lie down and sleep, for you alone, O LORD will keep me safe."
Here is another fun verse to be thinking of just before you dose off. Psalm 16:7,"I will bless the Lord who guides me; even at night my heart instructs me."
If you invite God to protect and teach you as you sleep, He will!
Scriptures to help you sleep
Here are some other bible verses to read when you can't sleep. These scriptures for insomnia will help you relax and remind you that God is in control of your life and that He is even instructing you as you sleep!
1. Proverbs 3:24, "You can go to bed without fear; you will lie down and sleep soundly."
2. Philippians 4:6-7, "Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done.7 Then you will experience God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus."
3. John 14:27, “I am leaving you with a gift—peace of mind and heart. And the peace I give is a gift the world cannot give. So don’t be troubled or afraid."
4. 1 Peter 5:7, "Give all your worries and cares to God, for he cares about you."
5. Psalm 91:1, "Those who live in the shelter of the Most High will find rest in the shadow of the Almighty."
6. Psalm 16:7,"I will bless the Lord who guides me; even at night my heart instructs me."
7. Matthew 11:23-30, "Then Jesus said, “Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you. Let me teach you because I am humble and gentle at heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy to bear, and the burden I give you is light.”
8. Isaiah 32:18, "My people will live in safety, quietly at home. They will be at rest."
9. Psalm 121:3-4, "He will not let you stumble; the one who watches over you will not slumber. Indeed, he who watches over Israel never slumbers or sleeps."
10. Joshua 1:9, "This is my command—be strong and courageous! Do not be afraid or discouraged. For the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.”
And don't forget God has promised, "Joy comes in the morning!" and you do not need to fear about what the next day will bring because this new day is the "Day that the Lord has made!"
God does not want you to suffer from insomnia or restless sleep. He does not want you to be worried about the events of the past day or to be stressed about the next day. God wants you to have a night of rest with a calm mind so that He can instruct your heart and prepare you for all that lies ahead. So bookmark this page with these soothing scriptures for sleep or write out these bible verses for insomnia on cards and place them near your bed so that they can calm your mind before you drift off to sleep.
Free printable prayer journal
Use our free printable prayer journal or notebook to answer the following questions and pour out your prayers to God. As you dig deeper into these verses they will calm you and help you sleep. This free printable contains 30 bible verses on Psalms for anxiety, depression, fear, and worry.
What is God saying to you through Psalm 4:8 today?
Do you get upset and stressed just before you lay down your head to sleep?
Be honest with yourself, have you cast your burdens onto the shoulders of God?
Bible affirmation: Remind yourself often of these biblical truths.
I can lie down and sleep in peace because God is watching over me.
God instructs my heart and prepares me for the day ahead as I sleep.
I can cast all my burdens on God because He has promised to carry them and He has promised to teach me the way to go and the path to follow.
Scripture prayer Psalm 4:8
Join me in praying Psalm 4:8.
Thank you Father for keeping me safe. Help me to remember to toss all those troublesome thoughts that go round and round in my mind before I go to sleep onto Your shoulders. For You are sovereign over all things. God help me sleep. I want to be so calm that I get a deep and refreshing sleep and I want You to instruct my heart as I sleep in peace. I give You all that causes me anxiety and I will both lie down and sleep in peace because You are with me. Amen.
Related Resources:
You will find the 30 Psalms For Anxiety, Fear, Worry, And Depression bible plan HERE. It will have the list of 30 Bible verses that we are using for 30 days for our bible challenge.
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Karen xx.