If you are reading this in the middle of the night, dear insomniac friend, please shut it down, and read a book instead. Pick it back up in the morning for reasons I (Jill) will explain later. For those of you catching this in the daylight hours, read on.

Insomnia is nothing to sneeze–or snooze–at, unless of course your name is John Edwards. Otherwise, sleeplessness is truly a hampering condition, bordering on an illness. At least it was for me. For ten years I slept fitfully, if I slept at all, waking up in the morning feeling worse than when I had gone to bed. Just about the time when our fourth child was finally and blissfully sleeping through the night, I wasn’t. Perhaps it started with a hyper-vigilance to the children’s nightly needs. Whatever the cause, I was stuck with it.

The pattern for me was consistent. I had a fairly easy time falling asleep but would awaken about 2:00 or 3:00 am with no hope of getting back to sleep until very close to sunrise. During this awake time, I felt buzzed, like I had caffeine, but I can assure you, I never touched the stuff. I didn’t have as much as a speck of decaf nor a single chocolate chip. I barely even breathed on the rare occasion when I entered a coffee shop; even the smell of coffee seemed to plague me with sleeplessness.

Dr. Oz says that, “Nearly half of all Americans have occasional insomnia, whether because of stress, hormonal changes, or poor bedtime habits; about 15 percent are plagued by chronic sleeplessness.” Until I found my cure, I was one of those 15%. Are you? How do you cope with your sleeplessness?

Please let us pray for you today, knowing all too well what a drag it is to not be able to sleep when you’re exhausted.

Father, We come to you with our sleepless friends on our hearts. Would you grant them rest? Please lead them to quiet waters and allow them to lie down in green pastures. Grant sleep to those You love, and You love each one. Hold them in Your everlasting arms.