Often, when I am preaching on Sunday morning, I have a sleepless Saturday night, or at least partly so. But this was Thursday night and there appeared to be nothing of great significance on my Friday agenda. With her recent death, poet Maya Angelou has been widely quoted. Once she wrote of sleepless nights, “There are some nights when sleep plays coy, aloof and disdainful. And all the wiles that I employ to win its service to my side are useless as wounded pride, and much more painful.” So it was for me, that Thursday night. I simply did what I learned from my prayer-warrior mother, I prayed – for everything and everyone I remembered. I’ve seen the quote on bumper stickers, and bookmarks, on wallpaper, and wall plaques, on coffee cups and clothing, on church bulletin boards and in church bulletins – “Don’t count sheep, talk to the Shepherd.” So, it must be a popular subject and I knew I was not alone in my sleepless state. Even Paul, twice wrote about his own “sleeplessness” (2 Corinthians 6:5 and 2 Corinthians 11:27) and added in the second reference, “in sleeplessness often” implying it happened to him more than a few times. Next time you have a sleepless night, I highly recommend prayer. Even if it doesn’t put you to sleep, it will be a night well spent.
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