Thankfulness: From Hand to Heart Day 15

 

"At midnight I rise to give You thanks
    for Your righteous laws.

Psalm 119:62 NIV

 

      Let's just jump right into this one: I literally do not know anyone (so far as they have told me) that sets their alarm to get up in the middle of the night to pray. Nobody. However, I don't think that the only application of this verse is a literal one-though doing that probably would have fairly dramatic effects on your spiritual life. I'll be honest, though, I haven't tried it.

 

    But anyway, we all find ourselves in situations where we aren't sleeping. I don't suffer from insomnia, but on occasion I definitely find myself querying my clock and doing the mental arithmetic, "If I fall asleep now, 7 hours. Now, 6 and a half. Now 5 hours, 15 minutes..." I'm sure you've been there.

 

   And I realized something: that is a really terrific time to pray, and particularly, to be thankful. Thinking of all the ways the Lord has provided for me, all the things He has done, and just how wonderful He is, is very soothing. It reminds me of the song from "White Christmas"  (Sorry, you'll have to imagine Bing singing!).

 

"So if you're worried and you can't sleep
Count your blessings instead of sheep
And you'll fall asleep counting your blessings..."

 

Sounds pretty good, right? And if you find yourself drifting off, you can always be thankful for this promise:

 

"In peace I will lie down and sleep,
    for you alone, Lord,
    make me dwell in safety."

Psalm 4:8 NIV

 

   My mom always told me if you find yourself awake in the middle of the night for no particular reason, it is the Lord prompting you to pray. I can't think about anything better to talk to God about than all the things you are grateful for...can you?

 

Today's Reflection:

   Before you go to bed tonight, list some of your favorite blessings to the Lord. Perhaps you could consider making a short prayer of gratitude part of your bedtime routine. And if you find yourself awake in the middle of the night, definitely think about using that time to thank the Lord. It definitely beats checking the clock!

 

Looking for the printable scripture writing plan? Or another day of the "Thankfulness: From Hand to Heart" study? Find them here!