You will rest safe and secure, filled with hope and emptied of worry. You will sleep without fear and be greatly respected. —Job 11:18-19, CEV

There have been numerous occasions in the last five years in which myself, my husband or both of us are awake in the middle of the night. The dead of night is an awful enemy to contend with because it has no answers, but yet you wrestle anyways. You stare into the inky blackness and pray for clarity. You seek a solution, going through the events of the previous day, or the one coming up, only to feel like you are walking in circles – always ending up where you started.

Answers rarely come in the wee hours.

What Zophar is saying in this verse has its basis in earthly prosperity. If Job would only repent! But there is a gem of truth in these verses. When my mind and heart contend with the world, no peace is to be found. 

Only when I wrestle with the Lord, like Jacob, do blessings await. When I surrender to Him, I am released from my burdens. I do not have to chase after the answers because I am confident that even while I sleep, my Protector is working things out for me. I may not know what the day holds, but He does and that is enough.

Gill, in his exposition of the Bible, states,

…and thou shalt take thy rest in safety; lie down on the bed and sleep in the night season in peace and quietness, having nothing to fear; being well entrenched, and secure from depredations and inundations; and, more especially being hedged about and protected by the power and providence of God.

It’s pretty clear when we’ve put our faith in something other than the Lord. When we start depending on our own abilities, or in others, we feel our hedge of protection slipping away. We start feeling vulnerable and confused. That’s right where we should be, as far as the enemy is concerned. He wants us: frightened, confused, discouraged and exhausted.

When you lay awake at night, thinking about the circumstances you face, the easiest thing to do is hold on to them – trying to figure it all out on your own. It seems much harder to release your iron grip and surrender to God. When it’s hard, that’s when you should open your hands. God is not the author of confusion and when you give over to Him, He blesses you with reassurance, peace, comfort and most certainly, rest.

When you are worried and restless, seek the Lord in prayer. All that you need will be found in Him.

Holy God – I have wasted so much time being worried. There is so little that I can control. I’ve lived as if it is all up to me, when the reality is, everything is in Your Hands. Forgive me and remind me, especially in the dead of night, You know what is best. Help me to cast my cares onto You and receive Your peace and rest. Give me insight when I lack it, ready for the sun to rise so I can go forth in confidence. In Jesus Name, Amen.

Further Reading: Psalms 121, Psalms 127:2, 1 Corinthians 14:33