Could there be anything more irritating than insomnia? I was always a night owl and a light sleeper. I have so many memories of lying in a dark tent for hours with mosquitoes in my ears and the thunderous snoring of my buddy next to me. I would count the seconds until morning, miserable.
It was easier at home: there was air conditioning and the noise of the fan, there were no mosquitoes and no snoring. But even on the most perfect nights, I sometimes suffered with insomnia. I would get up and ask for a drink of water. I would go to the bathroom. I would wander around in the dark. But as a child, my options were limited. Mostly, I just got angry that I couldn’t sleep.
I’ve known adults who turn the TV on at 3:00 a.m. Others will wash and iron a load of laundry, run the dishwasher, and work crossword puzzles. Anything to pass the time. It is hard not to get angry when you know you will feel awful the next morning—I guess if you can do something “productive” that gives you some consolation.
But God can use insomnia.
John Bisagno, the preacher of my childhood, spoke of his growing habit of waking up earlier and earlier in the morning—not by choice. So he began using that time to pray. He decided God had a purpose in rousing him in the wee hours. Decades later, I still admire his good attitude. Insomnia can be such a challenge!
One night the king of Persia had insomnia. God used it.
“That night, sleep escaped the king, so he ordered the book recording daily events to be brought and read to the king. They found the written report of how Mordecai had informed on Bigthana and Teresh … when they planned to assassinate King Ahasuerus” Esther 6:1-2.
The king either did not know Mordecai had saved his life, or he had forgotten to reward him for it. So the king honored Mordecai that day. The story—the irony—of Haman being the one to lead Mordecai around on a horse shouting honors can eclipse a greater fact.
Had the king not made this discovery during the night, Haman would have come, made his request, and Mordecai would have been killed BEFORE Esther’s banquet that night at which she planned to expose Haman.
See Esther 5:14—Mordecai was to be killed first thing in the morning. But the king’s insomnia prevented Haman from being able to present his request.
God used insomnia to save Mordecai’s life—and to humiliate Haman, before he could carry out his plans to exterminate all the Jews in “the 127 provinces from India to Cush [Sudan]” Esther 1:1.
I know insomnia is miserable. But God can use it. Talk to Him. Use that time to pray, perhaps. Trust God with your schedule—but don’t hesitate to educate yourself about sleep hygiene as well. There may be a solution.
ΑΩ
Household Words: 