Sooner or later most people experience a sleepless night or two.

In the middle of the night they are awake, thinking about problems in their lives that rob them of their sleep.

When it comes to sleeplessness, Christians are no exception. In Psalm 77 we learn that even Israels king David had his sleepless nights because of his concerns: "In the day of my trouble I sought the Lord; My hand was stretched out in the night without ceasing; My soul refused to be comforted" (Psalm 77:2).

The issues that bothered David appear to have been quite weighty: "You hold my eyelids open; I am so troubled that I cannot speak . . . I call to remembrance my song in the night; I meditate within my heart, And my spirit makes diligent search" (Psalm 77:4, 6).

In his discouragement David even wondered whether his situation had anything to do with God having changed His approach regarding mercy and grace (verses 8-9).

What do people do to "overcome" sleeplessness? All kinds of suggestions are available. Among them are start counting the sheep in your mind’s eye, read a boring book, drink a glass of warm milk.

What did David do? He meditated on God’s great works: "I will remember the works of the LORD; Surely I will remember Your wonders of old. I will also meditate on all Your work, And talk of Your deeds . . . You are the God who does wonders; You have declared Your strength among the peoples" (Psalm 77:11-12, 14).

Sleepless nights don’t always have to be a waste of time. We can follow David’s example and read the word of God and meditate on God’s great works. We will be encouraged, and most likely after a while we will be sleepy again and ready to go back to bed.

With these thoughts I wish us all a rewarding Sabbath!