by Linda Veath Cox

Little Girl PrayingKing David desired in his heart to build a house for the Lord. So much so that he vowed that he wasn’t going home, wasn’t going to bed, wasn’t going to sleep until he found that dwelling place for the Lord.

[David] … made a vow to the Mighty One of Jacob: I will not enter my house or go to my bed, I will allow no sleep to my eyes or slumber to my eyelids, till I find a place for the Lord, a dwelling for the Mighty One of Jacob.

~ Psalm 132:2-5 NIV

While this Psalm expresses David’s desire to find a dwelling place for the Ark of the Lord—something his son, Solomon eventually did—I believe it can relate to us personally. Just as God chose Zion to be the dwelling place for the Ark of the Lord (v. 13), He has chosen us to be the home, the temple, and the dwelling place of His Holy Spirit (1 Corinthians 3:16). Knowing that, surely we can be as determined as David was in finding a place for the Lord in our final thoughts and prayers for the night.

When we go to bed at night, we shouldn’t close our eyelids to sleep without finding a “place” for Him in our thoughts. We should end our day with a word of prayer to God.

Now I Lay Me Down

Our prayers don’t have to be long or eloquent. A simple “thank you, Lord” brings joy to His heart. And if we are so tired that we literally fall asleep when our head hits our pillow, just breathing a simple word of thanks or praise to God opens our soul for Him to commune with us, even as we sleep.

So before we lay ourself down to sleep at night, may our last words be prayer and praise to the Lord who dwells in our hearts. No doubt our sleep will be all the sweeter.