Mid-Night Surrender

God blesses those who realize their need for him,
for the Kingdom of Heaven is given to them. -- Matt. 5:1, NLT

I hate it when I wake up in the middle of the night and my mind starts racing so much that I can't go back to sleep. At 3:30 this morning I suddenly became conscious and a number of thoughts and concerns flowed through my mind..

* A client at work that I don't know how to best help

* A concern about our board meeting next week that I don't know how to solve

* A decision to make about serving on a committee at church

* A prayer for our daughter who asked us last night to pray for her and a job on campus

If I toss and turn too long in these early morning brain surges, I often get up and write down all that I need to do or pray about the next day. Or I'll make some warm milk and toast and read for awhile. But last night I just wanted to go back to sleep.

Then one of the 12 steps came to mind: "Make a decision to turn your life over to the care of God and the Lordship of Jesus Christ." I thought of that technique that Keith Miller taught me in one of his books. He visualizes all the problems and concerns for his family, friends and himself, cups his hands and imagines holding all of these concerns. Then he places these needs and burdens into God's large hands, turning them over to Him.

I decided to do the same at 3:30 this morning. So I just told the Lord I surrender to Him my worries, decisions and problems. It wasn't too long before I was in a deep sleep, dreaming some odd dreams about being in the snow-covered mountains of Colorado (random!). There's something about turning our cares over to our Father that really does bring peace to our souls. You're giving up control of trying to figure everything out. You're admitting to Jesus that you can't run your life. And you once more turn the reins or the steering wheel over to Him.

Back in 1993, when I bought my first copy of The Message, I came across one of my favorite New Testament passages in this marvelous paraphrase:

"Don't fret or worry. Instead of worrying, pray. Let petitions and praise shape your worries into prayers, letting God know your concerns. Before you know it, a sense of God's wholeness, everything coming together for good, will come and settle you down. It's wonderful when Chrsist displaces worry at the center of your life. -- Phil. 4, The Message

Maybe it's not so bad waking in the middle of the night. Especially when you experience that peace of Christ as you turn everything over to Him.

Jim