Insomnia

My maternal grandmother once gave me some very wise words of wisdom.  She asked me what I did when I couldn't sleep.  I don't recall what I responded, but her words of advise have stuck with me for almost 30 years: PRAY. 

We often cannot control the fact that we cannot sleep, there may be many contributing factors, but we can control what we do with that time.  We can use that time in prayer and meditation.  Maybe it's a time for praying for others - start with the people or events that come to mind off the top of your head.  This frequently leads you to thinking of more that need intersession. Sometimes you will have no idea what to pray for.  Be open to whatever comes to mind. 

I recall, back on the night of October 14, 1975, one man doing just this.  He was unable to sleep, so he got up to pray.  He was reported to have prayed for everything and everyone he could think of, but still he couldn't sleep.  He felt strongly that he needed to awaken his wife to join him.  The two of them continued in prayer, praying through the wards of the city's largest hospital.  Finally, around 1:30 am, they were able to go to sleep. 

The next day, this man, a Congolese pastor, joined with a group of other pastors and missionaries for their regular meeting.  He asked if anything significant had happened overnight.  One of the missionaries reported that a missionary girl had been bitten by a very large water cobra (estimated to be over 6 feet long).  She had been in critical condition all evening and night, on the first respirator in the country.  At about 1:30 am she had taken a turn for the better and was taking off the respirator.  Her parents arrived from the "bush" shortly there after, to find her alive.  In a country of limited medical care and very poisonous snakes, she was the first known victim to survive a bite.

That missionary girl is my one and only sister.  I remember that night as clearly as if it were last night.  We too prayed all night, but we knew for whom we were praying, the pastor and his wife didn't.  He followed the pull in him to pray.  What could have been a very frustrating night of insomnia, was actually a night of necessary prayer. 

Very rarely do we have experiences as dramatic as this, THANK GOODNESS!  BUT, I know that many of us have our nights of insomnia.  We also have circumstances in our lives that need prayer.  What about the unspoken needs of others?  We may not know the specifics, but take the time to focus on them as well.  We may never know the outcome, but that doesn't mean that our lack of sleep hasn't contributed to a miracle somewhere else.