SACRIFICING SLEEP

Psalm 119:145-152

Would you rather have the Word of God than sleep? Don't misunderstand me.
We need sleep. In fact, the Bible makes it clear that God expects us to
take care of our bodies, and sleep is part of that care. But the psalmist
says that he would rather have the Word of God than sleep. "I rise before
the dawning of the morning, and cry for help; I hope in Your word. My eyes
are awake through the night watches, that I may meditate on Your word"
(vv. 147,148).

Imagine being married to a person who gets up early in the morning to cry
out to God and hope in His Word. Then late at night he's still awake,
reading and meditating on the Scriptures.

Jesus also was up early in the morning, praying and meditating on the
Word. And on the Mount of Transfiguration, Jesus, Moses and Elijah were
discussing Christ's plan to die in Jerusalem. Peter, James and John were
there, but they were asleep (Luke 9:32). They slept through perhaps the
greatest Bible conference ever held on earth!

I'm afraid some of us have done the same thing. We've slept through the
blessing. For God to bless us through His Word, we have to start each day
with it. Do you set your alarm clock early enough in the morning to read
the Bible? Sure, that extra half hour in bed would be pleasant. But like
the psalmist, we need to say, "I'm going to anticipate the dawning of the
morning. I want to spend time with God and meditate in His Word."
Sacrificing sleep to meditate in the Word of God is not a loss; it's an
investment in your spiritual life. The Bible contains blessings you can
use the rest of the day. Let it be the key that opens and locks your day.