We all like to take a nap once in a while.  That is a good thing.  It has been medically proven that a short nap during the day increases our productivity and sharpens our thinking.  My son-i n-law takes a nap every day during his lunch hour.  He closes his door, turns out the lights and snoozes away.  His co-workers know that if the door is shut and lights are out it means, “Don’t bother me, I’m napping.”

Then there are retired folks who seem to nap all day.  That is not good.  It’s hard to get anything done if you’re sleeping the hours away, not to mention then you can’t sleep at night.  These pictures show Rich, Smudge, and Noodles all enjoying an afternoon snooze.  Now cats are designed to sleep all day because they roam around all night.  Not so with people.

In the spiritual realm we sometimes find that Christians are doing too much napping.  They are dreaming of the future while the present passes them by.  Or they don’t want to be disturbed from their slumber to do Kingdom work or be obedient to God’s bidding.  This kind of napping is not a good thing.  In fact, it can get us into lots of trouble.

David in Psalms 132:4-5 says,  “I will not give sleep to mine eyes, or slumber to mine eyelids, until I find a place for the Lord, a habitation for the mighty God of Jacob.”  He was referring to the building of the tabernacle of David.  This he felt was God’s direction for him and he wasn’t going to rest until it was done.

We also need to be diligent to obey God’s instructions for our lives.  We cannot afford to be sleeping our lives away while Kingdom business goes undone. With our busy lifestyles and cluttered schedules, we tend to let days pass by without listening to the voice of our Heavenly Father.  How many lives will go untouched while we “take a spiritual nap”?  How many prayers will go un-answered because God chose us to be His instrument of answer, and we chose something else to fill our time?

Resting/napping is not bad in and of itself.  But, we need to understand what is the appropriate time and place for such napping.  Sometimes we do need a short rest from all our activities.  Sometimes we just need to sleep and rest in peace, knowing that our Lord is looking out for us.

So, when you are napping either naturally or spiritually, take your rest and sleep in peace.  But, never ignore that still small voice when God tells you to get up and move.  There is a perfect balance if you are willing to look for it.