“In peace I will lie down and sleep, for you alone, Lord, make me dwell in safety” (Psalm 4:8).

Do these words of David give you peace or seem naïve? 

How about Jesus’ words? “Do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothes? Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? Can any one of you by worrying add a single hour to your life?” (Matthew 6:25-27).

How can David or Jesus throw around phrases like, “I will sleep in peace” and “don’t worry”? Maybe they had a better grip on reality. Both Jesus and David knew they lived in a bigger reality than the earthly realities that confronted them. 

Both David and Jesus looked at things from the perspective of the kingdom of God. In the kingdom, where we live as believers, our earthly possessions, reputations, and safety can be loosely held; this earth is only the beginning, not the end for us. 

What we begin here continues for us in eternity. While on earth, we can live without our hands clenched in fear and anxiety. We trust the One who holds the world (and us) in the palm of his hand. He will guide us through this life and the next—with peace. Sleep well. Live free.