In Psalm-niacs

Ever have trouble sleeping? I don’t. Whenever my head hits the pillow I am pretty much out. Yet it is a problem that affects countless Americans, and it has a terrible aspect to it. The more you get into a cycle of sleeplessness, the more you are tired and in need of sleep and the less a true insomniac is able to sleep.

In Psalm 77 the Psalmist speaks of his inability to sleep. In verse 3 he talks about how he lay awake at night as anxiety tormented him. Sleep specialists today blame anxiety as the number one villain in sufferers of insomnia. Those affected find their minds spinning like little computer hard drives unable to “sleep”. (Sad that I have to use a computer analogy to talk about something as uniquely human as sleep.) In many cases the worries and concerns of the next day or the happenings of the previous day cause the mind of the insomniac to stick and worry and sleep never comes.

The Psalmist deals with his insomnia by deliberately turning his thoughts to the past and dwelling on what God has done for him and his people. Psychologists today have a name for this. They tell us we need to recall our pasts, and therapy supposedly helps us “reassign new meanings” to the negative happenings there. The Psalmist does this, and in the midst of his sleeplessness finds peace in recalling the wonderful track record that our Lord has with his people. In short, our track record in being faithful to him is pretty sad, but his track record in being faithful to his people is flawless.

Today we talk about Psalm 77 and the art of remembering and how it brings rest to a weary and tired people.

Mark