More From Linawati Santoso

Many people in the world suffer from insomnia. A few years ago, as I shared in my devotional, I suffered from it too. I could not sleep well. After only sleeping for an hour or two, I would wake up. But one day I learned a key to fighting my insomnia—praising and worshiping God. One of the reasons I had insomnia was problems in my life. By praising and worshiping God, our souls are strengthened. I have found that after praising and worshiping God, I can sleep soundly.

Recently I once again suffered from insomnia. I found that I could not sleep at all, even for few hours. The reason for my insomnia this time was the same as before: problems. Since January 2021 many problems have happened in my life, one right after the other. I was feeling sad and stressed, so I could not sleep. The insomnia made me even more stressed because I felt sleepy during the day.

When I talked to a friend about my insomnia, he asked me to speak and meditate on these two verses over and over again: “I lie down and sleep; I wake again, because the LORD sustains me” (Psalm 3:5, NIV) and “In peace I will lie down and sleep, for you alone, LORD, make me dwell in safety” (Psalm 4:8). I decided to put it into practice, and I memorized the two verses. Every night when I could not sleep, I recited the verses. As I repeated them two or three times, I imagined myself as David. Although many foes surrounded him, he could still sleep well. That encourages me that although I face many problems, I do not need to fear. Meditating and speaking God’s words is powerful, and that night I was able to sleep soundly.

In this writing I long to share the power of praising and worshiping God, as well as speaking and meditating on scripture. As we praise and worship God, we remind our souls that we have a big God who is far bigger than our problems. As we speak and meditate on scripture, we remind our souls that God promises to be with us. In Matthew 11:28 Jesus said: “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.” If we come to Jesus, we receive rest and help with our problems.

As I write this blog, my problems are not yet over. But I choose to be at peace in Christ. Praise God for the nights I can sleep. I believe God will deliver me out of my struggles. I have decided to set my heart always thankful toward God. I also want to share one I thing for which I am thankful. Despite my family’s financial crisis, my sister Meliana and I were able to go to Bukit Doa Immanuel in April, which is a beautiful place built especially for prayer. Thanks be to God!