The airport shuttle delivered us to our hotel in Fairbanks, Alaska at 2:00 am to the surprise of Karlynn, the night manager. She had been expecting us on June 29, not July 29. When we failed to show, our reservation was cancelled. Good news! Someone had called at 1:30 am to cancel their reservation, so a room had just become available. Bad news! The rate was just a bit over $500. I had originally reserved the room for free with points. Good news! Karlynn was really nice and argued my case with the hotel rewards people. Bad news! It was a complicated case. Good news! Karlynn said not to worry, just go to bed and she would see what she could do while we slept. I usually find it hard to sleep when I am anxious or worried, but on that night I must have been extremely tired. In the morning I learned that the hotel had worked things out and my room had been comped.
In Psalm 3, David writes about the time his son, Absalom, rebelled against him and he had to flee from Jerusalem. He says in verse 5, “I lay down and slept; I woke again, for the LORD sustained me.” In the next Psalm, David reveals even more reasons for him to be anxious, but he ends by proclaiming, “In peace I will both lie down and sleep; for you alone, O LORD, make me dwell in safety.” (Psalm 4:8)
I am amazed that David’s 3,000-year-old advice speaks so clearly to our modern epidemic of anxiety. God works while I sleep. 1 Peter 5:7 says, “Cast all your anxiety on Him because He cares for you.”