God, we may then lie down in peace.
wings are not only safe but also warm and content, so are we under God's care.
5. If we have cast all our cares for the coming day upon God, we may then lie down in peace.
Worrying about tomorrow is a great hindrance to peace at night. If we learn to live without anxiety and entrust the outcomes of all things to God—who can and will do what is best for those who love and fear him—then we can rest. We should say, "Father, thy will be done," and so find ease.
Our Saviour earnestly taught his disciples not to be anxious about what they would eat, drink, or wear, because their heavenly Father already knew their needs and would provide for them. Let us also rid ourselves of such burdens by casting them upon God, who cares for us. Why should both he and we carry the same concerns? Let him carry the load, for he is able, and then we may rest.
III. Thirdly, Having laid ourselves down
in peace, we must prepare ourselves to
sleep.
"I will lay me down and sleep." The love of sleep for its own sake is the mark of a sluggard, but as it is nature's remedy for restoring its weary powers, it should be regarded as a mercy equal to that of food, and in its proper time, received with thankfulness.
And with such thoughts as these, we may go to sleep:
A. What frail bodies we carry about with us, that so frequently require rest and relief, and tire so easily, even from doing little or nothing.
It is a privilege of humanity, above the beasts, that we are made to walk upright—Os homini sublime dedit ["He gave to man the ability to stand upright"]—and part of the serpent's curse was, "on thy belly shalt thou go." Yet we have little reason to boast of this honour when we realise how briefly we can stand upright before we are burdened by this very honour and forced to lie down. The powers of the soul and the senses of the body are indeed our glory, but it is humbling to reflect on how, after just a few hours of use, they must all be rendered inactive, entirely unable to function, and that this rest is necessary.
Let not the wise person glory in their wisdom, or the strong person in their strength, when they must spend a quarter of their time utterly bereft of both strength and wisdom, becoming no different from the weak and foolish.
B. How tragic it is to lose so much precious time in sleep!
How sobering that we must spend so many hours out of every twenty-four utterly unable to serve God or our neighbour, unable to perform any acts of piety or charity. Those who reflect on how short life is, how much work we have to do, and how quickly the day of reckoning approaches, cannot help but begrudge the time spent in sleep.
They will wish to sleep as little as possible and will be spurred to redeem the time when awake. They will also long for the time when they will no longer need sleep, but will instead be as the angels of
God, never resting day or night from the blessed work of praising him.
C. What a good and gracious Master we serve, who allows us time for sleep, provides us with the means to rest, and makes sleep refreshing and restorative!
This shows that "the Lord is for the body," and it gives us every reason to present our bodies to him as living sacrifices, glorifying him in and with them. Sleep is even spoken of in Scripture as a gift promised to the saints: "He giveth his beloved sleep" (Psalm 127:2).
The godly person enjoys sleep in peaceful trust in God, whereas the worldly person labours in vain to find the same rest in their endless pursuit of material things. What a difference there is between the sleep of a sinner, oblivious to the fact that they are just a step away from hell, and the sleep of a saint, who, by God's grace, has the joyful hope of being just a step away from heaven. This is the peaceful sleep God gives to his beloved.
D. How pitiable is the condition of those from whom sleep is withheld due to physical pain or mental anguish—those who endure wearisome nights.
These are the ones who, when they lie down, ask, "When shall we arise?"—who are thus left as a terror to themselves. It was said that of all the inhuman tortures used by the French king to force his Protestant subjects to renounce their faith, none was more effective than the cruel deprivation of sleep.
When we feel how earnestly our own nature craves sleep and how much we are refreshed by it, we should be moved with compassion
for those who, for any reason, are deprived of such rest. We should also think of those who lack other comforts that we enjoy and pray for them.
E. How ungrateful we have been to the God of our mercies when we allow sleep, which is such a great support and comfort to us, to become a hindrance to what is good. For example, when it gratifies our sloth and laziness, keeps us from our morning prayers, or leaves us unprepared for evening prayers. Or when we sleep at inappropriate times during the worship of God, as Eutychus did while Paul was preaching, or as the disciples did when Christ was in his agony of prayer. How justly might we be deprived of the comfort of sleep and reproached with this as the cause: "What! Could ye not watch with me one hour?" Those who now wish to sleep but cannot should consider how often they should have stayed awake but refused to.
F. We now have one day less to live than we did this morning. The thread of time is swiftly unwinding; its sands are running down, and as time departs, eternity approaches. Time is hastening on; our days are swifter than a weaver's shuttle, passing and returning in an instant. What are we doing with the time we have? Are we progressing towards being ready to give our account? O that we might always go to sleep with thoughts of death upon our minds— how it would motivate us to make the most of our time! It would not make our sleep less desirable, but it would make death far less intimidating.
G. To your glory, O God, I now go to sleep. Whether we eat or drink, or even sleep—because that is included in "whatsoever we do"—we must do it all to the glory of God. Why do I go to sleep now? That my body may be restored to serve my soul, and that it might be ready to
labour with it tomorrow in the service of God. In this way, even ordinary actions, when directed to our ultimate purpose, are done in a godly manner and bring lasting spiritual benefit. Thus, the blessings we receive through them are sanctified to us, for "to the pure all things are pure," and whether we wake or sleep, we live together with Christ (1 Thessalonians 5:10).
H. To your grace, O God, and to the word of your grace, I now commit myself. It is good to fall asleep having freshly surrendered ourselves—body, soul, and spirit—to God. Let your soul return to God, its rest, for he has dealt bountifully with you. In this way, we entrust the keeping of our souls to him, as David did when he said, "Into thy hands I commit my spirit" (Psalm 31:5), and as Stephen did when he said, "Lord Jesus, receive my spirit." Sleep not only resembles death, but it can also sometimes lead directly to it. Many go to sleep and never awaken, sleeping instead the sleep of death. This is why we should always go to sleep with thoughts of dying and place ourselves under the protection of the living God. In doing so, even a sudden death would not catch us unprepared.
I. O that when I awake, I may still be with God! Let the period of sleep, however long, not interrupt my communion with God. As soon as I wake, may I resume it. O that when I wake during the night, my thoughts may turn to God; that I may remember him on my bed, knowing that he is at my right hand and that darkness and light are both alike to him. May I meditate sweetly upon him in the nightwatches, redeeming that time for good and making the best use of it, rather than allowing it to be wasted on vain thoughts—or worse, sinful ones. O that when I awake in the morning, my first thoughts may be of God, so that my heart may be seasoned with his grace for the rest of the day.
J. O that I may enter into a better rest than the one I am now about to enter! The Apostle speaks of a rest that believers enter into in this life, as well as a rest that remains for the people of God in the life to come (Hebrews 4:4, 4:9). Believers rest from sin and the world, resting in Christ and in God through Christ. They find satisfaction in the covenant of grace and their interest in it. This is their rest forever; here they dwell securely. They enter into this ark and find not only safety but also ease for their souls.
Now, O that I might enjoy this rest while I live, and that when I die, I might enter into something even greater than rest—the joy of my Lord, a fullness of joy.
IV. Fourthly, We must do all this in a believing dependence upon God, his power, providence, and grace. Therefore, I lay myself down in peace and compose myself to sleep because you, Lord, keep me and assure me that you do so. Thou, Lord, makest me to dwell in safety. David takes notice of God surrounding his path and his lying down, as he observes in Psalm 139:3: "Thou compassest my path and my lying down." He sees God's eye upon him when he retires into his bedroom, where no one else sees him; even in the darkness, where no one else can see him. Here, David acknowledges God surrounding him as his preserver. He feels God's hand about him, protecting him from evil and keeping him safe, and under him, supporting and comforting him.
A. It is by the power of God's providence that we are kept safe during the night, and on that providence, we must continually depend. It is God who preserves both man and beast (Psalm 36:6), who upholds all things by the word of his power. Death, which entered the world through sin, would quickly lay everything to waste if God did not shelter his creatures from its arrows, which continually fly about.
We cannot help but see how vulnerable we are in the night. Our bodies carry within them the seeds of disease; death is always at work in us. A small event could interrupt the circulation of blood or breath, and then we are gone—either never to wake or to wake under the shadow of death. Men, through sin, are exposed to harm from one another; many have been murdered in their beds or burned in their sleep. But our greatest danger is from the malice of evil spirits, who roam about seeking whom they may devour.
We are utterly unable to help ourselves, and our friends are equally unable to protect us. We are unaware of the specific dangers we face, nor can we foresee how they might arise. Therefore, we do not know where to guard ourselves; and even if we did, we would not know how to act. When Saul was asleep, he lost his spear and cruse of water, and he could just as easily have lost his life, as Sisera did, who was killed in his sleep by a woman. How fragile and helpless we are, and how easily we can be overcome when sleep has overcome us! Our friends, too, are asleep and unable to assist us. Illness may seize us in the night, and even if help is summoned, no human effort can prevent it. The most skilled and compassionate doctors are powerless in such moments.
Thus, it is only God's providence that protects us, night after night— his care and his goodness. This was the hedge around Job, encompassing him, his household, and all he owned (Job 1:10), a hedge so secure that Satan himself could not break through it, nor find any gap in it despite his efforts. There is a special protection extended to God's people; they are hidden in his pavilion, in the secret of his tabernacle, under the shelter of his promises (Psalm 27:5). They are God's treasured possession, dear to him, and he keeps them as the apple of his eye (Psalm 17:8). He surrounds them continually, just as the mountains encircle Jerusalem (Psalm 125:2).
He protects their homes, just as he protected the tents of Israel in the wilderness, for he has promised to create upon every dwelling place of Mount Zion a pillar of cloud by day to shield from the heat, and a flaming fire by night to ward off the cold (Isaiah 4:5). In this way, he blesses the homes of the righteous so that no real harm befalls them, nor does any plague come near their dwellings.
This divine providence over us and our families is something we must wholly depend upon. We must recognise that no provision we make for our safety is sufficient without God's blessing upon it. As Scripture declares, "Except the Lord keep the city, the watchman waketh but in vain." No matter how well-built the house, how securely barred the doors and windows, or how vigilant and careful the servants, all efforts are futile unless he that keepeth Israel, who neither slumbers nor sleeps, takes responsibility for our safety. If the Lord is your protector, then you can laugh at destruction and famine, knowing that your dwelling is at peace (Job 5:22, Job 5:24).
B. It is by the power of God's grace that we are enabled to consider ourselves safe, and on that grace, we must continually depend. The fear of danger, even when unfounded, is as troubling as if it were entirely justified. Therefore, to fully enjoy the blessing of being made to dwell safely, it is necessary that, by God's grace, we are delivered from our fears (Psalm 34:4), as well as from the actual dangers we fear. Shadows should not terrify us any more than real evils.
If, by God's grace, we are enabled to keep a conscience void of offence and to preserve our integrity; if iniquity is removed far from us, and no wickedness is allowed to dwell in our homes, then we can lift up our faces without shame, remain steadfast, and have no need to fear (Job 11:14-15). Fear came into the world with sin and departs with it. If our hearts do not condemn us, then we have confidence
towards both God and men, and we dwell securely. We can be assured that nothing can truly harm us except sin, and whatever does harm us has sin as its sting. Therefore, if sin is pardoned and restrained, we need not fear any trouble.
If, by God's grace, we are enabled to live by faith—the faith that places God always before us, the faith that applies his promises to our own lives and brings them before the throne of grace, the faith that purifies the heart, overcomes the world, and extinguishes all the fiery darts of the wicked one, the faith that makes unseen things real to us, and serves as the substance and evidence of them:
If we are led and governed by his grace, then we are made to dwell safely and can even defy death itself, along with all its harbingers and terrors. O death, where is thy sting? This faith will not only silence our fears but will also open our lips in holy triumph: If God be for us, who can be against us?
Let us lie down in peace and sleep—not in the strength of natural resolution against fear, nor solely through rational arguments against it, though they are helpful—but in dependence upon God's grace to work faith in us and to fulfil the work of faith in us. This is going to sleep like a Christian, under the shadow of God's wings, going to sleep in faith; and it will serve as a good foretaste of dying in faith. For the same faith that will carry us peacefully through the short death of sleep will carry us through the long sleep of death.
For Application
First, See how much it is our concern to carry our religion with us wherever we go, and to have it always at hand; for at every moment, we have need of it—whether lying down, rising up, going out, or coming in. True Christians do not confine their religion to new
moons or Sabbaths but bring its influence into all the ordinary actions and events of daily life. We must sit down at our tables and rise from them, lie down in our beds and arise from them, with an eye on God's providence and promises. In this way, we must live a life of communion with God, even while engaging with the world.
To achieve this, it is essential to have a living principle within our hearts—a principle of grace, which, like a well of living water, continually springs up to eternal life (John 4:14). It is equally necessary to keep a vigilant watch over our hearts, guarding them diligently. We must set a strict guard over our hearts' inclinations and have our thoughts more under control than I fear many Christians do. This shows how much we need the constant supply of divine grace and a union with Christ, so that by faith we may continually partake of the root and richness of the goodly olive tree.
Secondly, See how hidden the life of a true Christian is and how much it escapes the observation of the world. The most significant part of their life is lived between God and their own soul—in the disposition of their spirit and the workings of their heart in private moments, which no eye sees but his, who is all-seeing. The saints are rightly called God's hidden ones, and his secret is said to be with them, for they have meat to eat and work to do that the world knows nothing of. Their joys, griefs, and cares are such that a stranger cannot share in them. Great is the mystery of serious godliness.
This is a good reason why we should refrain from judging one another, as we do not know the hearts of others nor witness their private moments with God. Sadly, there are many whose religion is merely outward. They may make a fine appearance or even a great noise, but they are strangers to the secret communion with God that is the essence of true godliness. On the other hand, it is hopeful that
there are many who do not distinguish themselves by any outward profession of religion, quietly passing through the world unnoticed, yet engaging deeply with God in solitude. They walk with him in the steady, consistent path of regular devotion and communion. The kingdom of God does not come with outward display. Many merchants prosper by a quiet trade, making no commotion in the world. Therefore, it is fitting that every person's judgement should come from the Lord, who knows the heart and sees in secret.
Thirdly, Consider the harm done by those who remain under the power of a vain and carnal mind, living without God in the world. Sadly, many people view secret communion with God as a strange and unfamiliar concept. When ministers speak of it, they ask, "Are they speaking in parables?" They lie down and rise up, go out and come in, wholly absorbed in pursuing worldly profits or sensual pleasures. Yet, God is not in all their thoughts—indeed, not in any of them. They live upon God and the gifts of his bounty every day but give him no regard. They do not acknowledge their dependence on him nor seek to secure his favour.
Those who live such a merely animal life not only show great contempt for God but also do considerable harm to themselves. They blind themselves to the truth and deprive themselves of the most valuable comforts that can be enjoyed this side of heaven. What peace can those have who are not at peace with God? What satisfaction can be found in hopes that are not built upon God, the everlasting foundation? Or in joys that do not flow from him, the fountain of life and living waters? O that they would at last become wise for their own sake and remember their Creator and Benefactor!
Fourthly, See how easy and pleasant the lives of God's people could be, if not for their own shortcomings. There are those who fear God,
practise righteousness, and are accepted by the Lord, yet they go about disheartened and troubled from day to day. They are full of cares, fears, and complaints, making themselves perpetually uneasy. This happens because they do not live the life of delight in God and dependence on him that they could and should live. God has fully provided for them to dwell at ease, but they fail to make use of the provision he has laid up for them.
O that all who strive to live conscientiously and are afraid of sin would also show themselves to be cheerful and afraid of nothing else. Let all who call God Father, and are careful to please him and remain in his love, learn to cast all their other cares upon him and commit their way to him as to a Father. He will choose our inheritance for us and knows what is best for us, far better than we know for ourselves. "Thou shalt answer, Lord, for me." This is a truth I have often affirmed and will continue to affirm: a holy, heavenly life spent in the service of God and in communion with him is the most pleasant and comfortable life anyone can live in this world.
Fifthly, See in this what the best preparation is for the changes that may lie ahead of us in this present life: to maintain a constant relationship and communion with God. Let us converse with him daily and keep regular times for calling upon him, so that when trouble comes, it may find the wheels of prayer already in motion. Then we may approach God with humble boldness, comfort, and confidence, knowing we can expect his help in affliction if we have not been strangers to him during times of peace and prosperity, but have kept our eyes always upon him.
Even when we achieve the greatest degree of holy security and serenity, lying down in peace, we must still remain prepared for the troubles of life. Our sense of ease must not rest on the stability of
created things, for if it does, we deceive ourselves and set ourselves up for greater vexation. Instead, it must be built on the faithfulness of God, which never changes. Our Lord has told us, "In the world, ye shall have tribulation—much tribulation. Count on it. It is only in me that you shall have peace." If each day is, as it should be, a Sabbath of rest in God and communion with him, nothing will seem unbearable on any day, no matter how difficult it may be.
Sixthly, See in this what the best preparation is for the unchangeable world that lies before us. We know that God will bring us to death, and it is our great responsibility to prepare for it. Every day should be spent preparing for our last day. What better way can we prepare for death than through frequent times of retreat to commune with God, loosening our attachment to the world that we must leave and growing in familiarity with the world we are destined for? By going to bed each night as though going to the grave, we make death more familiar, and it becomes as natural to close our eyes in peace and die as it is to close our eyes in peace and sleep.
We hope that God will bring us to heaven; and by maintaining daily communion with him, we become increasingly fit to partake of that inheritance, and our hearts are lifted into heavenly conversation. It is certain that all who will go to heaven in the future begin their heaven now, setting their hearts there. If we enter into a spiritual rest each night, it becomes a pledge of the blessed repose we will find in the divine embrace in that world where day and night cease. There, we will not rest from praising him who is, and ever will be, our eternal rest.
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Directions for Daily Communion with God, by Matthew Henry, Monergism Copyright © 2025
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