Is it possible there are certain “spiritual side effects” to your sleep that benefit more than just you?

I have a theory about God as our Father and why He’s given His children the gift of sleep. I think He wants us to sleep just as much as we need sleep.

I know that we need sleep but I also wonder if He likes it, even enjoys it when His children are resting in their beds.

I wonder about this because I as a father LOVE when my children sleep! I love it not only because I get a break from them (though Elisa and I do like that part) but it’s also because when my children sleep they return to a kind of innocence that brings me joy.

Honestly, I think there are times I can only experience that joy because they are conked out.

It first hit me years ago one night when I went in to check on my son who was in bed. When I looked at him he was sound asleep but an hour before he was a major PILL. Fighting bedtime, whining and crying, making for a difficult evening.

Yet, there he was in the quietness of his room, slightly sweaty, breathing deeply and sleeping soundly. He was so peaceful. I’ll never forget looking at him and thinking about how any and all frustration I felt toward him earlier was wiped away by his newfound innocence. He was back to being my cute boy and special son and favorite kid and best buddy. I felt joy and gratitude and satisfaction more than anything else I had felt before.

He needed sleep but I think I actually needed him to sleep too.

Does God our Father look at us the same way when we sleep? Is His joy over us refreshed or enhanced as he looks at us while we sleep? Is He satisfied anew in His children when we’re not being difficult and whiney and being a royal pain in the world?

What if God might want a little more time to look at us while we are sleeping? If my fatherly instincts tell me anything then I can’t help but wonder this!

Since I’ve been wondering about that I’ve also had some other thoughts on why we should get more sleep.

It’s possible God wants us to sleep because…

– He might want to say something to us while we’re sleeping. There are many times in the scriptures where God shares important news or valuable truths to people while they sleep. You might not ever connect with God in this way but I guarantee you it will NEVER happen to you if you don’t go to bed!

– He might want to say something to you while you’re awake – so get some rest! Studies always change but studies now say that we should be getting seven hours of sleep a night. Are you getting a good amount of rest? If you’re not getting good sleep you might not be alert enough for God to speak to you when you are awake.

– When we sleep we demonstrate trust. When I go to bed I’m basically letting God know that I know He will take care of me. I don’t need to stay up with one eye open so that nothing bad happens to me or my family. I don’t have to pull an all nighter after an all nighter to get things done because I’m trusting that those “things” are ultimately in His hands. We can trust in Him because we know that when we sleep He is always awake. He never sleeps! That sounds really exhausting and incredibly comforting at the same time!

The Psalmist writes: “I lie down and sleep; I wake again because the Lord sustains me.” (Psalms 3:5) If you look at the context of that verse you will see that he writes this while he is surrounded by enemy armies. He can go to sleep because he’s not afraid. Now that is trust!

Lastly, and it’s just a thought, God might actually want to look at us while we sleep. He might want to walk in to the quietness of the room and see us slightly sweaty, breathing deeply and sleeping soundly. He might desire the opportunity to rejoice over us in that moment. As His children we return to an innocence when we sleep. An innocence that has nothing to do with whether or not we are His children – it is a quiet expression of our trusting relationship with our Father as His children.

So I encourage you, when it’s time, go to bed! You probably need the sleep!