I don’t know about you, but I’ve had more sleepless nights than I can remember. Often, the tape of “what ifs” and “if onlys” continues to play in my mind, no matter what I try to make it stop.
There are times when I did something wrong and couldn’t sleep because of it. At other times, I was worried about a family member or church situation. Conflict and hurt feelings are always sources of sleepless nights.
I hate war because I like people. I find myself dwelling on worldwide conflicts at 3:00 in the morning, asking God’s mercy on the many innocent casualties of conflict between nations.
When it comes to sleepless night caused by war, we are in good company with Isaiah. Bible students believe the prayer of Isaiah 33 originated as the people faced overwhelming odds from regional superpowers.
O Lord, be gracious to us; we wait for you.
Be our arm every morning,
our salvation in the time of trouble. (Isaiah 33:2)
Saint John Damascene describes prayer as “an elevation of the soul to God.” In prayer, we fix our attention on God, and enter into conversation with the Lover of our soul.
God’s grace is the foundation of prayer. God searches for us before we ever decide to turn to Him. Prayer is nothing more than our response to His love and our need.
While meeting with God, we can adore Him and demonstrate our gratitude for His goodness. At the root, however, prayer is asking God to come to our aid for one purpose or another.
Isaiah was asking for salvation from enemies who were bent on destroying Jerusalem and Judah. Our prayer request may be as simple as asking help to find lost car keys. It may be as profound as the time when we enter into a saving relationship with Jesus at the moment of our conversion.
To pray is to wait on God. We don’t wait on God like we sit in an airport waiting for our flight.
Waiting on God is an expression of trust. While we wait on Him, we state that God is the only answer to our needs. We don’t have a substitute for God, who will help if God doesn’t work the way we wished.
All of us will have sleepless nights for one reason or another. As a good friend of Jesus, we can tell Him that we are waiting on Him. That is, we are trusting Him to act for His glory and our best interest.
A good way to maintain a vibrant friendship with Jesus is to meet Him every morning in prayer and Bible reading.
The last thing we want to happen during a sleepless night is to pray a 911 prayer to someone we haven’t talked to in a long time.
God’s Character: Exalted and Near
We are able to place our full trust in God when we know how reliable is His character. Isaiah listed seven character traits that should draw us into a faith-filled relationship with the Lord.
The Lord is exalted; he dwells on high;
he filled Zion with justice and righteousness;
He will be the stability of your times,
abundance of salvation, wisdom, and knowledge;
the fear of the Lord is Zion’s treasure. (Isaiah 33:5-6)
As our exalted Lord, God occupies the highest place of honor and authority. He is the Creator and not part of creation. He dwells on high, because God exists outside the created order.
God’s morality includes justice and righteousness. Holiness describes God’s existence beyond the created order, but it also incorporates perfect justice and righteousness.
God loves His creation and provides stability, salvation, wisdom, knowledge and treasures for those who fear Him.
In these brief sentences, I have only touched the surface of God’s magnificent character. Isaiah’s words and Jesus’ actions should give us the motivation to meet Him every morning with trusting hearts.
YouTube Discussion
Rudy Ross, Bruce Kirby, and I discussed this passage on YouTube today.
Real Voices 