Sleepy Faith--Psalms 3-4, Mark 4, Acts 12

Sometimes faith shows itself at its greatest when one just goes to sleep.  I remember the story of a missionary who was stranded somewhere in a dangerous part of Africa.  They knew there were violent thieves around and they feared for their life, but they could do nothing about it.  As the man was praying, the Lord spoke to him the Scripture in Psalm 4:8--"In peace I will lie down and sleep, for you alone, Lord, make me dwell in safety."  So with that Word, he shared with those with him and they decided the best thing they could do was lie down and sleep.

Sleep throughout Scripture has often been a fruit of faith.  Consider David when pursued by Saul and his whole army (Ps 3). 

Lord, how many are my foes!
    How many rise up against me! 
 Many are saying of me,
    “God will not deliver him.”

  But you, Lord, are a shield around me,
    my glory, the One who lifts my head high. 

 I call out to the Lord,
    and he answers me from his holy mountain.

 I lie down and sleep;
    I wake again, because the Lord sustains me. 

 I will not fear though tens of thousands
    assail me on every side

Surrounded by tens of thousands who were pursuing him to his death.  And David goes to sleep.  It was the sleep of faith.  And it wasn't the first time (Ps 4).

We see it again in the New Testament.  Jesus and his disciples, some of who had grown up on the waters of the Galilee, were convinced they were going to drown in a storm.  And where was Jesus?  Sleeping.  Soundly.  They woke him up, he rebuked the wind, rebuked the disciples, and in my estimation, went back to sleep.  (Lk 8:22-25; Mk 4:35-41).

And another time in the life of the disciples.  King Herod had just arrested and beheaded James.  Seeing this pleased the Jews, he seized Peter also.  The church was earnestly praying and what was Peter doing?  Sleeping.  Soundly.  So soundly the angel of the Lord had to slap him on the side to wake him up (Acts 12).  It was the hour that he might have joined James in getting beheaded, but there he was in the cell, sleeping between two soldiers.

How can you sleep when the world is spiraling out of control?  How can you sleep when people are crying for death outside your window?  It's only possible by faith.  The same faith, like Daniel's friends when told to worship or die:

"If we are thrown into the blazing furnace, the God we serve is able to save us from it, and he will rescue from your hand, O King.  But even if he does not, we want you to know, O king, that we will not serve your gods or worship the image of gold you have set up" (Dan 3:17-18).
 And I think with every act of faith in this form, the forces of darkness shudder.  Shudder at our snoring.