While I Was Sleeping....

I knew yesterday that I had not written anything yet. I even had a conversation with my sister about it. I told her I did not want to force it. I did not want to write just because it was Tuesday. I was waiting on the Lord. If there was a word to share, I wanted Him to speak.

Twice in the middle of the night, I woke up. Not wide awake in a panic or restless and frustrated. Not tossing and turning because of a pulled neck muscle or some random ache that decided sleep was optional. Just awake enough to quiet my mind and pray.... Just awake enough to be aware that I was awake.... 

Lord, if there is something You want me to say, speak. I asked Him to speak to my heart and then quieted myself to listen.... Both times, I fell back asleep in that same quiet. Do you know what happened?

I woke up this morning feeling rested!

Clear. Present. Ready to write. Not because He gave me some profound word in the wee hours of the night.

But because He let me rest without speaking and somehow, that was the word.

He was working. Even while I slept.

Psalm 121 says:

“He will not let your foot slip — He who watches over you will not slumber; indeed, He who watches over Israel will neither slumber nor sleep.”

— Psalm 121:3–4

I woke up and immediately thought, “Well, I guess Tuesday came and went, and the Lord is still on the throne whether I wrote a blog post or not.”

And then it hit me. That is the blog. He is still on the throne. He is still working. He is still faithful. Even when I am quiet. Even when I am sleeping. Even when I miss the deadline I made for myself. Even when I do not have the words yet.

God is not dependent on my productivity.

What a comfort that is.

Because so much keeps happening even when we are unaware of it.

On the farm, life does not stop just because the house goes quiet. The sheep still graze. The sourdough still rises. The gardens still grows. The chickens still roost. The new dirt on the road still settles. The animals breathe. The land rests. The work of yesterday takes root in the stillness of night.

And inside the house, the same thing is true. Our bodies digest. Our minds process. Our children sleep while new knowledge settles in. Our hearts absorb what the day held. The things we did
yesterday in the busyness, take root in the opposite of busyness.

Rest.

Quiet.

Sleep.

Stillness.

And God is present there too.

He is still busy changing hearts. Still busy saving lives. Still busy answering prayers. Still busy ordering steps. Still busy doing things I could not see, manage, organize, or control.

Jesus said:

"My Father is always at His work to this very day, and I too am working.”

— John 5:17

Always at His work. Not only when I am. Not only when I feel inspired or when I have the right words. Not only when I am awake enough to participate.

Sometimes I confuse obedience with output. I think if I am not doing something, writing something, producing something, posting something, cleaning something, planning something, or helping someone, then maybe I am not being faithful.

But faithfulness is not always 'active activity.'

Sometimes the actions of our faithfulness are waiting, resting, listening. 

Sometimes faithfulness is asking the Lord to speak and trusting Him enough to sleep when He does not speak right away. 

Because I did ask Him.

Twice.

I woke in the night with Him on my mind.

I quieted my thoughts, prayed, and listened.

And instead of giving me a message right then, He gave me peace. He gave me rest.

And He reminded me that even in my sleep, my heart can be turned toward Him, waiting, hoping.....  Trusting in Him. Not so He can let me do something. But reminding me that He is always doing something.

Isaiah says:

“In repentance and rest is your salvation,

in quietness and trust is your strength…”

— Isaiah 30:15

Quietness and trust is not usually where I look for strength first. I tend to look for strength in getting moving.

Making the list.

Doing the thing.

Fixing the problem.

Finishing the post.

Checking the box.

But last night, strength looked like surrender. It looked like closing my eyes again and knowing that I don't write because it's Tuesday.... 

It looked like admitting that if God wanted me to sleep instead of write, then sleep was obedience too. And this morning, I woke up with the very thing I had been waiting for. Not a forced thought or a recycled idea. Not something I strained to create.... But something that flowed smoothly from a place I can't reach on my own. And an important reminder God works while we rest.

The Lord never slumbers or sleeps.

He is not limited by my schedule, my deadlines, my weekly rhythm, or my ability to stay awake and figure everything out.

He can speak in the night. He can even speak to our subconscious.... but He can also be silent in a way that gives peace.

And both can be holy.

I think about how many times Scripture shows God doing things in the quiet places.

Seeds growing underground.

Babies forming in the womb.

Dreams given in sleep.

Prayers answered before people knew the answer was coming.

Seasons shifting slowly.

Hearts changing gradually.

The kingdom growing like yeast worked through dough.

Jesus said:

"This is what the kingdom of God is like. A man scatters seed on the ground. Night and day, whether he sleeps or gets up, the seed sprouts and grows, though he does not know how.”

— Mark 4:26–27

Whether he sleeps or gets up. The seed grows. Though he does not know how.

That feels like the whole message.

There are things God is growing that I cannot see yet. There are prayers He is answering while I am unaware. There is work happening beneath the surface..... 

And I do not have to understand all of it to trust Him with it.

So no, I did not write on Tuesday.

But the Lord was still writing something in me. And somehow, the missed post became the post. Because the rest was part of the message. The reminder I needed was not, “Try harder to stay on schedule.” It was, “I am still working independent of your schedule.”

And He is.

In the fields.

In the house.

In my children.

In my heart.

In the lives I love.

In the prayers I have whispered.

In the things I cannot fix.

In the places I cannot see.

He is still working ..... Even while I sleep.

What a comfort.

Where might God be working quietly beneath the surface, even while you are waiting, resting, or unaware?

Lord, thank You that You never slumber or sleep. Thank You for working even when I cannot see it, understand it, or participate in it. Teach me to trust You in both the speaking and the silence. Help me receive rest as a gift, not a failure, and remind me that Your faithfulness does not depend on my productivity. Amen.

Until next time, keep following the Plott, and I will be praying for us all. 💛