For four nights in a row, my mind wandered aimlessly. Even counting the sheep brought up a million more thoughts.
– “What if the retreat fails?”
– “What if the gift doesn’t go as planned?”
– “What will people think if I disappoint them?”
– “Will my acne ever go away?”
– “Will you ever be able to love me?”
“Will God hear my prayers?”
I don’t know about you, but sleepless nights are the worst. why? Because even though I’m already exhausted, for some reason the voice continues. It’s like having a conversation with someone Really I don’t want to talk about it. No matter how short the answer is, the answer goes on and on. And for people who suffer from anxiety, this is like going to war with a mental spiral.
Unfortunately, nighttime is often the most difficult time for an anxious mind. For many of us, it’s the first time we’ve stopped all day long, and the silence in our room can bring intrusive thoughts. we don’t have to think about them. Instead, they are displayed.
If you are a Christian who struggles with thoughts like this, you are in good company. There are three ways God meets us in the midst of confusion.
1. God is watching over us.
In Psalm 63:6, the psalmist writes, “I remember you in my bed; I remember you all through the night.” (NIV). The psalmist says that he thinks about God and remembers God throughout the night as he tries to fall asleep. From sunrise to sunset, or any waking hour, the author knows and trusts that God is with him. How does he know this is true?
As a child, Proverbs 15:3 was my mother’s favorite Bible verse. I didn’t understand why until I started struggling with anxiety. “The eyes of the Lord are everywhere, watching over evil and good” (ESV). And I think our psalmist knew this verse to be true. God watches over everyone and sees everything they do. Psalm 139:2-3 says: “You know when I sit down and when I rise up. You discern my thoughts from afar. You seek my ways and the ways that I lie down, and you know all my ways” (ESV).
Because not only does God promise to watch over us as we come and go (Psalm 121), but He never sleeps or falls asleep. God sees all things and knows all things. That is why we look not to mighty mountains but to our God (Psalm 121:1).
Knowing that God is watching over us doesn’t necessarily eliminate our anxiety, but it grounds us in His truth. God is not irritated or upset with us. He doesn’t get irritated or disappointed in us because we tend to overthink. Instead, God meets us in those places, just as we do. This brings me to the second way God meets us within our spiral.
2. God is with us
In Isaiah’s prophecies of Jesus, he calls the coming Messiah names such as “Wonderful Counselor,” “Mighty God,” “Eternal Father,” and “Prince of Peace” (Isaiah 9:6). Just two chapters earlier, he also calls Jesus “Immanuel.” This means “God is with us” (Isaiah 7:14).
What I love most about this verse is that God is with us no matter what. This verse does not say, “God will be with us when we finally stop worrying, when we finally learn to keep everything together, when we finally learn to control the spiral.” No, the Bible says that no matter what, no matter where we are, God is with us.
Blake Roberts, a friend of mine and one of my great therapists, explains this concept this way: “God is made aware of the trauma. Immanuel = God is *with* us. No, God is with us after our anxiety and depression go away in prayer.”
Immanuel (or Immanuel) means “God with us” in Hebrew and is powerful and empowering. Because God didn’t need to care about or be with us in our suffering, but He chose to do so (Hebrews 10). And this brings us to our third and final point.
3. God is within us
The God of the universe is not only all around us and with us, but he also lives within us. Wow. Full stop. As humans, this is difficult and almost impossible to articulate. We cannot imagine or understand that another human being lives inside us. But that’s exactly what happened when Jesus gave us the Holy Spirit.
Through His birth, death, and resurrection, Jesus gives the gift of the Holy Spirit to all who accept Him. You don’t need perfection or an anxiety-free lifestyle as a prerequisite. Instead, they ask us to fully repent of all sins and come as we are, with open arms.
In 1 Corinthians 6:19-20, the Bible describes the Holy Spirit living within us: “Do you not know that your bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit? He is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; you were bought with a price. Therefore glorify God with your bodies” (NIV).
These gifts of the Holy Spirit are love (Romans 5:5), courage (Acts 4:31), and strength (Acts 1:8). It was given to empower us, not to shame us for our struggles (John 15:26; Zechariah 4:6). The same Spirit that raised Jesus from the dead lives within us, and that is something to ponder.
Friends, I don’t know what thoughts your mind is giving you today, but if they are not of the spirit, they are probably not true. When your mind doesn’t rest at night and you find yourself in a spiral, remember these three truths: Next, take a deep breath.
If deep breathing doesn’t work, I like to use Name the Fear, Name the Truth and Journal. My mind is already excited, so I pick up the pen and let the thoughts flow like a river. My entry might sound like this:
“God, I’m so scared of the future. I don’t understand and my mind is filled with what-ifs. But I know that you hold my future in your hands and you know the next step. Even if it’s foreign to me, you’re with me and you know where I’m going.”
Once you have allowed yourself to process, pray using grounding techniques based on the Psalms. For me, this is similar to reading a psalm and writing in a journal about how it relates to my life. At this time, I pray with open arms and ask the Lord to calm my thoughts.
Learning to seek the Lord in moments of despair is neither easy nor natural. Everything inside me screams for control. But God sees my efforts. He hears every cry for help and the simple prayer, “Lord, I’m exhausted and I just want to sleep.” Yet, that is the beauty of having a personal relationship with God.
Even if you are having sleepless nights, know that you are not alone. Even if you don’t feel close to God, He is with you and within you, watching over you.
What are the thoughts that bother you most at night? Take the time to record these thoughts in your journal and tell the Lord what is really on your heart and mind.
prayer
Dear God,
Please give us peace when we have sleepless nights. Remember that you are the only one who can give us the comfort of your presence and quiet the chatter in our minds. You are not ashamed of us, but you love us as we are. Thank you for the gift of the Holy Spirit and the power it gives us. We love, praise, and thank Jesus. Amen.
Photo credit: iStock_GettyImages_demaerre
Amber Ginter is a teacher-turned-author who loves Jesus, her husband Ben, and granola. Growing up, Amber looked for resources on faith and mental health, but couldn’t find anything. Now, she gives hope to young Christians struggling with mental illness that goes beyond just reading the Bible and praying more. Because even though we love Jesus, we can still be plagued by anxiety. You can download her top faith and mental health resources for free to help you navigate books, podcasts, videos, and influencers from a faith perspective. Visit her website at amberginter.com.
