God has made our bodies to function in incredible ways - no wonder the Psalmist wrote that we are fearfully and wonderfully made. Each day, we can think, we can breathe, in all but the most extreme cases, we can move. And, we have the capacity to refresh ourselves through sleep. The Bible says in Psalm 127:2 (ESV): “It is in vain that you rise up early and go late to rest, eating the bread of anxious toil; for he gives to his beloved sleep.” The Psalmist also stated in Psalm 4 (ESV):
6 There are many who say, “Who will show us some good?
Lift up the light of your face upon us, O Lord!”
7 You have put more joy in my heart
than they have when their grain and wine abound.
8 In peace I will both lie down and sleep;
for you alone, O Lord, make me dwell in safety.
The human body benefits so greatly from sleep, and it’s actually a promise of God to the believer in Him - He wants us at our best, so that we can glorify Him. Sleep helps to activate our brains so that we can make good decisions. And, there are certain rhythms to which our bodies are attuned. So, this is important.
There are factors that inhibit sleep. I think of stress and anxiety as being sleep limiters. Pain - of the physical or emotional kind - can prevent us from getting the rest we need.
A story from Relevant Magazine recently related the struggles of an actress who was struggling with insomnia. Her name is Emma Myers, and the article said:
In a new interview on the Great Company podcast, Myers opened up about discovering faith around age 21, when she was struggling with severe insomnia and going days without sleep.
“I was having the worst time of my entire life,” Myers said. “I was not sleeping for days. I’d go to work being awake for three days straight.”
Myers said insomnia runs in her family, but her situation had become so overwhelming that she reached a breaking point.
“I was having such a bad time that I was just like, ‘I can’t take this anymore. Please help me, God. I don’t know what to do,’” she said.
Psalm 88 states:
1O Lord, God of my salvation,
I cry out day and night before you.
2 Let my prayer come before you;
incline your ear to my cry!
Emma Myers said a simple prayer, and the article reports: “That prayer became the start of a deeper faith for the actress. Myers said she began ‘putting my faith in Him’ and speaking to God directly, describing the shift as less about joining an institution and more about building a relationship with God.” She added: “It’s completely, like, fully just changed me, and I feel I have so much comfort in it.”
Movieguide cited the Relevant Magazine article in a recent piece devoted to Myers, who is part of the cast of the Netflix series, Wednesday, stating:
When a young actress speaks plainly about God meeting her in weakness, families can use that moment to talk about prayer as dependence rather than image management.
Myers summarized the heart of that discovery in simple terms. “God is like, ‘I love you so much, have a relationship with me,’” she said. “And nothing else matters.”
Her words do not turn a Netflix role into a ministry platform, and families should still evaluate WEDNESDAY on its own content. Yet her testimony gives young viewers a humane counterweight to the idea that fame solves fear.
What keeps you up at night? And what do you do about it? If we are riddled with anxiety that prevents us from getting the rest we need, we have powerful spiritual resources that are available to us. So, in those times of restlessness, we can turn to the one who promises rest. When fear comes to keep us awake at night, we can rely on the power of a “sound mind” and think Godly thoughts. And pray.
Emma Myers is not afraid to testify to what she has experienced with God and seems to have taken a first step. Although, I’m not reading anything about Jesus and she apparently has not opened her eyes to the value of being part of the local church. But, that hopefully will come in time. And, as Movieguide says, Emma Myers’ experience can help families discuss the value of a relationship with Christ and what He offers - including rest for our souls.