When Anxiety Wakes You at 3 AM

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"The Prince of Preachers" stands before

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thousands every Sunday, filling London's Metropolitan Tabernacle

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with powerful sermons that move hearts. Charles Spurgeon was one

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of the most celebrated preachers of the 19th century, and still

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is by many. He was followed by millions and is still quoted

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today. But behind the pulpit was a man lying awake at night, his

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mind racing with dark thoughts, fears about his ministry, and an

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overwhelming sense of inadequacy that wouldn't let him rest. He

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battled severe depression and anxiety that few in his

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congregation ever saw. In the dark hours, the man who

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comforted so many couldn't find comfort for himself. Why would

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someone so gifted, so used by God, struggle to simply close

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his eyes and sleep?

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Welcome to Daily Devotions for Busy Lives. I'm Bart Leger, and

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today we're talking about those nights when your body is tired

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but your mind just won't stop. When you wake up at 3am and

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worries start flooding in about work, about your family, about

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your health, and about the future. Your thoughts race

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through worst-case scenarios, and no matter how hard you try,

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you can't turn them off. Psalm 4: 8 says, "In peace I will lie

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down and sleep, for you alone, O Lord, will keep me safe."

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David's life wasn't always a bed of roses, and that's King David

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from the Old Testament. And he isn't saying, "In peace I will

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lie down because all my problems are solved." peace I will lie

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down because you alone, O Lord, will keep me safe." His peace

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isn't tied to his circumstances, it's tied to his God. That's

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what we need to understand when anxiety wakes us at 3am. The

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problem isn't that we're awake. The problem is that we think we

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need to solve everything in the dark. We replay conversations.

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We rehearse disasters that haven't happened. We try to

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control outcomes we can't control. And all of that keeps

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our minds spinning and our hearts racing. But here's what I

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God is already awake. Psalm 121: 4 says, "Indeed, he

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who watches over Israel will neither slumber nor sleep." You

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don't have to stay awake to keep the world spinning. You don't

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have to carry the weight of tomorrow night, because God is

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on watch. He sees what you're worried about, and He invites

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you to cast your anxious thoughts on Him. 1 Peter 5: 7

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says, "Cast all your anxiety on Him because He cares for you."

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That word "cast" isn't passive. It's active. It means to throw,

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to hurl, to deliberately transfer the weight from your

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shoulders to His. When your mind is racing at 3am, that's exactly

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what you can do. "Lord, I'm handing this fear to You. I'm

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giving You this scenario I keep replaying. I'm trusting that You

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are awake and in control, so I don't have to be." That doesn't

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mean the anxious thoughts will instantly disappear. Sometimes

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they come back. And sometimes you have to cast them again and

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again in the same night. But each time that you do, you're

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training your heart to trust. You're reminding yourself that

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God is bigger than your fears. Spurgeon didn't pretend to have

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it all together. In his journals and sermons, he wrote honestly

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about crying out to God in those midnight hours. He leaned into

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Scripture, especially the Psalms, and learned to cast his anxious

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thoughts on The Psalms, and told his loss to God among the

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Egyptians, even when sleep wouldn't come. He once wrote, "I

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have learned to kiss the wave that throws me against the rock

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of ages." His weakness became the place where he met God most

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deeply. Peace doesn't come from the absence of struggle. It

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comes from trusting the one who never sleeps. Oh, and by the way,

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God is awake at 3am, so you don't have to carry the weight

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alone. Maybe you know those nights all too You lie there,

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staring at the ceiling, heart-pounding, mind-racing. You

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feel alone in the dark with your fears. But you're not alone. God

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is with you. He's awake, and He's watching over you. invites

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you to trust Him enough to rest. Here's today's challenge. The

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next time anxiety wakes you up in the night, don't just lie

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there and spin. Try this instead. First, acknowledge what you're

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Say it out loud or whisper it, "Lord, I'm anxious about," and

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then, you fill in the blank. Second, cast it on Him. Pray,

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"I'm handing this to you. I can't solve this tonight. You're

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awake, and you're in control." And then third, speak Psalm 4: 8

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over yourself. In peace, I will lie down and sleep, for you

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alone, O Lord, will keep me safe. You may need to do this more

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than once. That's okay. Each time, you're choosing trust over

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fear. Lord, you know the nights when sleep won't come and our

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minds won't stop. You see the fears that feel so big in the

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dark. Thank you that you'd ever sleep and that you're always

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watching over us. Help us to cast our anxious thoughts on you

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and trust that you're in control. Give us peace to lie down and

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rest, knowing that you alone keep us safe. In Jesus' name,

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amen. If this podcast has been an encouragement to you, would

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you consider becoming a monthly supporter? Your generosity helps

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keep these daily devotions coming. You can give at

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dailydevotionsforbusylives.com/support . Thank you for partnering with

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me in this ministry. And thanks for joining me on Daily

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Devotions for Busy Lives. Remember, God is awake at 3 a.

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m., so you don't have to carry the weight alone. Come back next

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time for more encouragement to help you live grounded in God's

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truth. Until then, God bless and have a great day.