Shepherd's Care Prayer for Peaceful Nightly Sleep

TONIGHT'S SCRIPTURE

"The LORD is my shepherd, I lack nothing. He makes me lie down in green pasture, he leads me beside quiet waters, he refreshes my soul.” Psalm 23:1-3 NIV

SOMETHING TO PONDER

Last summer, I was walking with the sheep at my friend’s farm when I noticed something. Those sheep seem to notice everything. If there’s a little fly nearby, they watch it. If there’s a new sound, they turn towards it. It doesn’t take much for them to settle in, only to be back up and moving shortly.

My friend shared that her sheep won’t lie down to rest unless a few things are true. They can’t be afraid. They can’t be hungry. They can’t be at odds with other sheep. And they can’t be tormented by bugs flying around their heads. If any one of those things is true, the sheep will stay on its feet, even if it’s completely worn out. The sheep is unwilling to rest when its needs are still obvious.

I think I remembered this about the sheep because that is so like me. How many nights have I been completely exhausted but couldn’t sleep because something was buzzing? Not a live creature in the room (though a fly may have caused my husband or me to grab a fly swatter in the middle of the night), but this looked more like a worry or a thought. A conversation that I replayed in my mind. A need that felt bigger than the moon shining just outside the window.

Isn’t it interesting that the shepherd boy, David, in Psalm 23, doesn’t say that the Lord invites him to lie down? He says, “He makes me lie down.” You see, the Good Shepherd doesn’t wait for the sheep to figure out how to rest. He creates the conditions where rest is possible and then sees to it that the sheep stop. They lie down.

David knew sheep better than anyone. He had grown up tending to them. I imagine he knew each one by name. He’d been a shepherd his entire life, out in the open with the flock, driving anything away that threatened them. He walked ahead of them to find the water they needed. When David calls the Lord his shepherd, he knows he cannot make himself rest and needs Someone to do it for him.

Those sheep don’t think about discovering green pastures. They aren’t strategizing to find the best water. The shepherd is the one going ahead. Handling the problems in advance and settling the flock.

All the sheep have to do is trust the one in charge.

If you can’t seem to lie down to rest tonight, I want to remind you that you don’t have to create your own peace. If your body is still, but your mind is still standing, you don’t have to find a way out. That was never the sheep’s job.

Your Shepherd knows every issue in your heart, and you can trust the One in charge.

Will you pray with me?

YOUR NIGHTLY PRAYER

Father, You are my Shepherd. Oh, how I need You to make me lie down. I’ve been on my feet all day, and even now I can’t seem to settle. The unfinished things buzz about my head. There’s fear that I haven’t even named because I try to be my own shepherd.

Lord, help me recognize that rest is not something I have to accomplish.

You are walking ahead of me. You already know where the quiet waters are. Free me from the things that won’t leave me alone and let me lie down in the green pastures You’ve prepared for me. Lord, refresh my soul while I sleep.

In Jesus’ name, Amen.

THREE THINGS TO MEDITATE UPON

Is Water Already There?

Have you been trying to find the quiet on your own? The shepherd walks ahead of the sheep to the still water before the sheep ever get there. Whatever tomorrow holds, God has already gone before you.

He Makes You Lie Down

When was the last time you let someone else be in charge of your rest? David tells us this is what the Shepherd makes happen. Maybe tonight you should stop trying to create your own peace.

What’s Keeping You Up Tonight?

Is there something buzzing around your head tonight that won’t let you settle in? Name what’s pestering you and give it to God. It’s the Shepherd’s job to drive it off, not yours.

Thank you for joining us tonight. We hope this prayer has encouraged your heart. If you're battling problems you never requested in life, we invite you to check out Rachel's book, Praying through Life’s Battles: 90 Days to Strengthen Your Faith. at https://battleprayers.com Until next time, remember, God sees you, He hears you, and He knows your needs.

Rachel Wojo is an inspirational author, public speaker, and podcaster known for her popular blog, rachelwojo.com. Through her biblical approach and personal life experiences, Rachel empowers women to discover strength and hope in everyday situations. Despite enduring the loss of her mother, adult special needs daughter, and father, Rachel remains resilient. She has authored the uplifting book, Desperate Prayers: Embracing the Power of Prayer in Life's Darkest Moments and recently released the 90-day devotional, Praying through Life’s Battles. Rachel is crazy in love with her husband, Matt, and cherishes her motherhood with six children on earth and two in heaven.