Having trouble getting a good night’s sleep? Download Abide for Christian sleep meditations that use calming techniques and Scripture verses framed in calming stories to lull you into a peaceful slumber.
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As a new mom, I find my bedtime is a precious thing. It’s the only moment of the day that I have all to myself after my little one is sleeping. Ideally, that’s my time to enjoy a relaxing book, catch up on a TV show, or play a board game with my husband. But more realistically, I often spend that time finishing my dinner, running the dishwasher, and catching up on work. So imagine my frustration an hour later when I find myself wide awake at night, my mind still buzzing. There is a better way to set yourself up for good, restful sleep: Christian meditation practices.
Here are some meditative routines you can practice to unwind your mind and find sleep soundly.
Set the Mood
Your physical needs and wellbeing are important to God, as 1 Kings 19 shows. The energy of your physical environment can make all the difference between restlessness and peace.
Spend time before bed decreasing the stimulation around yourself. Dim the lights and prioritize a soft, warm lamp light over bright ceiling lights. Find something calming and quiet to listen to or choose to turn off the noise altogether and let yourself decompress. Engage all your senses. Light a soothing candle or diffuse some calming fragrance. Cozy up with a soft blanket and a warm cup of tea or glass of water. Let the time leading up to bedtime be reflective and prayerful.
Make Your Bed
It’s often said that a cluttered room creates a cluttered mind. Now, I’m not the tidiest person, but one habit that has changed my life is the simple discipline of making my bed every morning. At night, once the baby’s asleep and the day’s messes have been straightened, I love coming back to a lovely made bed and pulling back the covers.
Be Still in God’s Presence
One of the most important Christian meditation practices might also be one of the easiest to incorporate at bedtime. Once you’re cozy and settled in bed, focus your mind on the Lord’s presence. Make your breathing intentional, slow, and deep. Take air in through your nose, hold it a second, then release it slowly through your mouth. Feel your body grow heavy and limp. Picture yourself enveloped in a soft, warm glow of radiant light. Let yourself be anchored and unmoving in God’s peace.
Let Go of the Weight
What’s heavy on your mind? Is it a meeting or job interview coming up? Maybe a conversation you had today that didn’t sit well with you, or a loved one battling illness? Whatever it may be, release it to God. Ask Him to take the burden from your heart tonight, and trust that He is in control over it all.
Say Thank You
After releasing your heaviest thoughts to God, practice gratitude to end your night with good things on your mind. As 1 Thessalonians 5:18 (NIV) declares, “give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.” Find three things to be grateful for and thank God for those blessings. Fill your mind with all the ways God has been faithful to you.
Repeat Truths from Scripture
Memorizing Scripture is an effective way to guard your mind against sin and worry. What better way to memorize God’s Word than to incorporate it into one of your nightly Christian meditation practices before sleep? Take Psalm 91:1-2 for example…
“Whoever dwells in the shelter of the Most High
will rest in the shadow of the Almighty.
I will say of the Lord, ‘He is my refuge and my fortress,
my God, in whom I trust.’”
If you don’t have a particular verse in mind, choose from the Abide app’s Sleep Scriptures. Try this one from Paul’s letter to the Ephesians.
Listen to a Sleep Story or Prayer
If you’ve made it this far and you’re still struggling to sleep, as I often do, sometimes your own mind is too loud and too distracted. As another Christian meditation practice, listening to the calming, steady voice of one of Abide’s narrators as they pray blessings over you or tell a relaxing story might just be the key to the blissful peace of sleep.
Listen to a brief clip of this Abide guided meditation about thankfulness based on 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18.
Making sure you are intentional about creating a calming nighttime atmosphere in your home can make all the difference between a night spent tossing and turning or one spent in Christian meditation practices: reflecting on God, His Word, and the blessings He brings every day.
Getting better sleep helps you have better mental clarity, more energy, and a brighter outlook on life. Christian meditation practices can help you sleep soundly. Meditating on God’s Word as you fall asleep in particular can help you achieve that goal. Abide sleep stories have brought better sleep to thousands of people around the world. Download the app now and save 25% off a premium subscription. Start experiencing better sleep with God’s Word.
Kathryn is dedicated to helping others connect with God through storytelling. These days, she is mastering the skill of typing with one hand while using the other to play with her almost one-year-old in Orlando, Florida.
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