Ah… a bad night! We had a hard day, and we couldn’t get to sleep. The problems have been multiplying lately, and the sleepless nights are coming one after the other. Here are some biblical tips that could help you.

For some people, insomnia is chronic and linked to a hormonal deficit, neurological problems, or other. Here, we are not talking about the type of insomnia that requires medical help. But rather about those sleepless nights when we can’t fall asleep because we are worried or too irritated. The project at our job is very demanding, and we continue to think about it with our heads on the pillow. Our children are going on a trip and we can’t stop thinking about all the misfortunes that could happen to them. How can we shut off the flow of thoughts that keeps us awake?

The Bible offers us good solutions.

1. Putting our trust in God
   Especially when we live alone, we can all feel overwhelmed with worry. We don’t have a partner to comfort us after a nightmare in the night or when the sirens sound outside. David’s solution is to give our fate to God and choose to trust Him for our safety. “In peace I will lie down and sleep, for you alone, Lord, make me dwell in safety” (Psalm 4:8 NIV). We can repeat this verse several times when we are afraid, not as a magic formula, but until our soul is at peace knowing that our Heavenly Father loves us so much that He will take good care of us. He is the defender of widows and orphans (of single people), and He never lies.

2. Being thankful instead of asking
   Wanting something is very natural, it is what keeps us going! But what we consider to be lacking in our life can keep us awake at night. When we are overwhelmed by our desires and needs, let us decide to change the course of our thoughts toward all that we have already received from God. “By day the Lord directs his love, at night his song is with me a prayer to the God of my life” (Psalm 42:8 NIV). Instead of counting sheep, let us count our blessings. Sleep will come and we will sleep like babies fed on good milk.

3. Meditate on lessons instead of on mistakes
   We all make mistakes and often we replay the whole situation in our minds. We think about how we could have acted differently, or how others are also to blame for the situation, etc. Reflecting on our mistakes is a good thing, but only when we seek to learn from our mistakes. To avoid spending the night reliving our mistakes, we just need to pray to God and ask Him what He wants to teach us from this situation. “I will praise the Lord, who counsels me; even at night my heart instructs me” (Psalm 16:7 NIV). We may stay awake for a while listening to God’s voice, but at least we will find sleep enriched by God’s wisdom.

4. Remember what God has done
   God is the same yesterday, today, and forever. He has lost none of His great power; He has not finished surprising us. His arm is not too short to save us. When we feel helpless in a situation when we think that we will not succeed, it is good to remember all the threatening circumstances from which God has rescued us. We can even look at the miracles we have heard around us or read in the Bible. God is able to get us out of all perils. “I will remember the deeds of the Lord; yes, I will remember your miracles of long ago” (Psalm 77:11 NIV).

All of these things require us to take control of our thoughts and choose which direction we will make our thoughts take. It is not always easy, but it is not impossible. We have authority over our thoughts and the Holy Spirit to inspire us in the right direction.