The Danger of Sleeping
Therefore let us not sleep, as do others; but let us watch and be sober. 1 Thessalonians 5:6
Sleeping is part of God’s wonderful plan for our lives. God created the body with the need to recharge, repair and refresh itself and this is what takes place when we sleep. However, there is a right time to sleep and a time to be alert as to what is taking place all around us.
When a person’s conscience is bothering him, or when life seems to place some strain or anxiety on him, it is difficult to sleep. David stated that there were those that troubled him, that rose up against him. Do you sleep well when others trouble you?
David cried unto the Lord and received assurance that He was heard (Psalm 3:4). Assured of God’s protection and His sufficiency in his life, he then laid down and slept. The inner agitations were gone and sleep was like a gift from God. I laid me down and slept; I awaked; for the LORD sustained me (Psalm 3:5). I will both lay me down in peace, and sleep: for Thou, LORD, only makes me dwell in safety (Psalm 4:8).
Our circumstances should never cause us to lose sleep. Behold, He that keepeth Israel shall neither slumber nor sleep (Psalm 121:4). No matter what is going on around us, our God is wide awake and watches over us with unwearied care. Jesus said to the disciples, Let us go over unto the other side of the lake (Luke 8:22). The plan made, they launched into the water and Jesus went to sleep. A great storm came up and the boat was filling up with water and they just knew their lives were in jeopardy. They awoke Jesus with these words – Master, Master, we perish (Luke 8:24). What happened to the plan Jesus had laid out? Jesus got up and rebuked the wind and the raging of the water and all was calm. Then He said unto them, Where is your faith (Luke 8:25)? There are many nights that we ought to ask that question to ourselves prior to going to bed.
Many believers gathered with the Apostle Paul on the Lord’s Day in order to observe the Lord’s Table (Acts 20:7). Then Paul preached the Word of God unto them and realizing that he would be departing on the morrow, his preaching went until midnight. And there sat in a window a certain young man named Eutychus, being fallen into a deep sleep: and as Paul was long preaching, he sunk down with sleep, and fell down from the third loft, and was taken up dead (Acts 20:9). Through the years, I can remember one or two individuals who fell asleep during the sermon, but I do not remember anyone dying as a result. Yet a little sleep, a little slumber, a little folding of the hands to sleep (Proverbs 6:10).
In Matthew 13, Jesus taught a parable saying, The kingdom of heaven is likened unto a man which sowed good seed in his field; BUT WHILE MEN SLEPT, his enemy came and sowed tares among the wheat, and went his way (Matthew 13:24, 25).
The sleep noted here is not that which our bodies need, but instead refers to being asleep when we should be awake. Satan and his angels sowed tares in the field while men slept. Considering the times in which we are living today, there is sleep that we need to avoid. We need to be on guard lest we find ourselves being a part of the corrupt standards of our society, often without even knowing it until it is too late. We must not be slothful and careless with the advances Satan is making in our society today. Paul exhorts in our text – Therefore let us not sleep, as do others; but let us watch and be sober (1 Thessalonians 5:6). While many slept in our nation the prince and power of the air took certain control so that the Bible and prayer were taken out of our public schools. Our government listened to the crowd that did not sleep and abortion, divorce, gay marriage, transgenderism and so many other evils cropped up overnight just like the tares in Matthew 13.
It was while men slept that the Mormons, Jehovah Witnesses, Muslims, and others who deny that Jesus is God advanced their cause in our nation. Now we live in a nation of people that call evil good, and good evil (Isaiah 5:20). We must wake up and get on our knees before God and seek His will toward another Great Awakening in our land.
As stated several times, so many churches have canceled their prayer meetings and most of those who have not yet done so, have gone to Bible Studies instead of serious yearnings after God in prayer. We really should be having some all-night prayer meetings, (perhaps with the exception of Eutychus).
Can we turn the clock back? The answer is “no,” but our Father which is in heaven can do so for while with men this is impossible; with God all things are possible (Matthew 19:26), which again reveals the great need of the hour – PRAYER.
How much time do you spend praying for our nation and our government leaders? How much genuine prayer is taking place in your church? Do you know, that our God is even capable of keeping all of us from the Coronavirus? So, what are we doing about it? How serious are we about seeing the saints gathering often for prayer, real prayer, crying out to God in this desperate hour.
George Stiekes serves as a Lay Pastor at Bethany Bible Church in Hendersonville, NC. See here for a more complete bio of brother Stiekes extensive ministry. We republish his material by permission.
Photo by Adi Goldstein on Unsplash