weekly thoughts: 31.01.2010
SPENDING MORE TIME IN PRAYER: COUNTERING THE PULL OF SLEEP
lighten mine eyes, lest I sleep the sleep of death; Ps 13:3b
Just as time and energy is used in prayer, an awakened consciousness is also imperative. This shows that becoming sleepy when it’s time to pray, is counter productive to the exercise. Deal with all manner of things that could contribute to a state of sleepiness because God wants you to guide the time you spend with him jealously. Guide it from being eroded by sleep.
The number one thing you can do to prevent sleep from eating up your prayer time is to become watchful. You must be innately aware of your state of wakefulness and watch out, if it seems to be slipping away. You cannot be so lax as to fall asleep without being conscious that you are about to fall asleep. Monitor yourself astutely.
The next thing to do to counter sleep invasion is to shift in your posture to a more active one. If you were lying down, sit up; if you were seated, stand and if you were standing, start pacing. This will cause a greater amount of blood to flow into the brain making you be more alert.
When you have done all these, will yourself to become less aware of the tiredness of your body. It is the major magnet that draws sleep. Tune your self awareness from your body to your inner being i.e. your spirit. This, in a manner of speaking, shifts you from gear one to cruise level in your prayer journey. Your struggle with physical weakness turns to near zero, time would fly by and after all is said and done, you will still be ready to pray more, where before it seems sleep wants to take you over.
Further reading: Mathew 26:40-41, 1 Peter 4:7,1 Corinthians 14: 14.
Just as time and energy is used in prayer, an awakened consciousness is also imperative. This shows that becoming sleepy when it’s time to pray, is counter productive to the exercise. Deal with all manner of things that could contribute to a state of sleepiness because God wants you to guide the time you spend with him jealously. Guide it from being eroded by sleep.
The number one thing you can do to prevent sleep from eating up your prayer time is to become watchful. You must be innately aware of your state of wakefulness and watch out, if it seems to be slipping away. You cannot be so lax as to fall asleep without being conscious that you are about to fall asleep. Monitor yourself astutely.
The next thing to do to counter sleep invasion is to shift in your posture to a more active one. If you were lying down, sit up; if you were seated, stand and if you were standing, start pacing. This will cause a greater amount of blood to flow into the brain making you be more alert.
When you have done all these, will yourself to become less aware of the tiredness of your body. It is the major magnet that draws sleep. Tune your self awareness from your body to your inner being i.e. your spirit. This, in a manner of speaking, shifts you from gear one to cruise level in your prayer journey. Your struggle with physical weakness turns to near zero, time would fly by and after all is said and done, you will still be ready to pray more, where before it seems sleep wants to take you over.
Further reading: Mathew 26:40-41, 1 Peter 4:7,1 Corinthians 14: 14.