Jesus Slept
Sleep is an act of Faith that we Desperately Need
Psalm 3:5
“I lay down and slept; I woke again, for the Lord sustained me.”
I Don’t Get Enough Sleep
I don’t get enough sleep. In fact, as I write this, I’m on my second source of caffeine for the day. (V8 Energy—don’t judge me.) I honestly haven’t slept consistently well for about six years. There are a few reasons for this.
One common issue for individuals with autism is sleep dysregulation. In our home, that means our oldest son might be awake until 2 a.m. or up again at 3 a.m., which can wake the entire household. Add to that the nights when we don’t have nursing care. On those nights, either my wife or I stay up and sleep lightly to monitor Knox on his heart monitor. We try to catch rest where we can, but it’s often light, brief, and fragmented.
And those are just the physical realities. They don’t include the mental ones—the worries, stressors, and anxieties that can be hard to quiet when I finally do lie down. My body is tired, but my mind can be relentless.
The Scriptures have quite a bit to say about sleep. In the Psalms, we find several reminders that sleep is more than a biological necessity. It is a theological act.
Sleep Is a Gift from God
“It is in vain that you rise up early and go late to rest,
eating the bread of anxious toil;
for he gives to his beloved sleep.”
(Psalm 127:2)
Sleep is not earned by productivity. It is not a sign of laziness. It is not something we must justify with a completed to-do list. According to Psalm 127, sleep is a gift. God gives sleep to His beloved—not because they’ve done enough, but because He is enough.
This verse reminds me that rest is not a reward for performance. It is a grace from the One who never slumbers, who keeps His children even while they rest. For those of us running on fumes, this is good news. God does not love us less because we are tired.
We Can Sleep Because He Watches Over Us
“In peace I will both lie down and sleep;
for you alone, O Lord, make me dwell in safety.”
(Psalm 4:8)
When David wrote these words, he wasn’t sleeping in a palace. He was likely on the run. His enemies were real, and yet he lay down in peace. Why? Because God was watching over him.
I may not have military enemies, but I have fears. I fear for my children’s health. I fear the unexpected beeping of monitors in the night. I fear the weight of not being enough for the people who depend on me. And yet, this Psalm invites me to lay all of that down.
We can sleep because God does not. He guards the doors we cannot. He watches the monitors we may miss. He hems us in behind and before, and His eye is on us—even in the dark.
Sleep Is an Act of Faith
For most of human history, sleep has been dangerous. Thieves and murderers break in at night. Wild animals stalk their prey in the dark. To sleep is to make yourself vulnerable.
When our middle son is on the heart monitor and going through a season of instability, my wife and I have to watch his monitor closely. One of us stays up. We rely on the equipment to work and on each other to wake up if something changes. Every night, we have to choose to trust. In sleep, we are saying, “I trust that the world will continue without my control.”
As believers in a sovereign God who never sleeps and upholds the universe, we rest knowing that He is awake.
“He who keeps Israel will neither slumber nor sleep.”
(Psalm 121:4)
Jesus Slept
Let this sink in: Jesus slept.
In Mark 4, the Son of God was so physically exhausted that He fell asleep in a boat during a violent storm. His disciples were panicking, and He was resting—because He trusted His Father completely.
Jesus, fully God and fully man, embraced the limits of human need. He showed us that sleep is not a weakness to be despised but a reminder that we are creatures, not the Creator. Even the Savior of the world stopped to rest. He trusted in His Father's protection.
That comforts me on the nights when I fall asleep mid-prayer or feel guilty for needing a nap. Jesus slept. You can too. You need to.
Some nights, I still don’t get much rest. But I’m learning to see sleep not as a luxury I can't afford, but as a grace I’m invited to receive. Whether my sleep is interrupted or deep, short or sweet, I can lie down in peace—because the Lord sustains me.