Welcome to Bible at Bedtime, a podcast where I, Amber Lawton, read Bible passages to help you fall asleep. Tonight, before I jump into the scripture, I wanted to share a few things with you, my listener. So if you want to go straight into listening to the scriptures, you'll probably want to fast forward this section. It may end somewhere between the 7 to 9 minute mark. First, I started this podcast back in 2020. And it was during a time where I had started to experience difficulty with falling asleep again. At a very young age, I had challenges with restlessness, sleeplessness. there were just a number of issues at night when I would try to go to sleep or stay asleep I remember my parents wanting to teach me how to settle in wanted to choose a way for me to learn how to rely on the Lord. And it began with me having different teachings that they would put on the TV. at the time I had a TV in my room and so they would turn on TBN or Christian programming with the hopes of it helping me fall asleep. Oddly enough, there were a number of times that programming went into a pastor who was praying and I would join along with him. So then I was up at night as a small child praying for people and nations and just whatever else was on the list for that night. And then over time, when the TV was removed from my room, my parents had a collection of Bible stories or accounts that were dramatized. and so I would listen to these different accounts of different individuals through the Bible and that would help me to go to sleep and I also listened to scripture and I also kept a little Bible in the bed with me. I always share with friends I didn't have a blankie I had my Bible and so at times when I would wake up in the middle of the night I knew the first thing that I should do before seeking my parents was to try to read a scripture to pray and to breathe and so I was taken back to that during that time of COVID where I saw a little increase in anxiety. And I thought, I can't be the only one experiencing this. And so I decided to share. Now over the years, I have had other experiences with friends from my local church community. One of them is simply practicing stillness. And it's a time where you sit in reflection or deep thought and play calming Christian music. And you wait and listen for the Lord. And you try not to fall asleep. I've also learned how to practice different breathing exercises because I'm sure, as many of you probably know, even when we are in the process of learning total reliance on the Lord, learning to cast our cares on Him, learning to give over every anxious thought or care or worry, there's still some stress that we may carry in our body. And so it's important to have different coping mechanisms to be able to settle us. I wanted you, my listener, to know these things because I was reading through some of the comments that some of you shared. And I also went through my messages on Instagram. And I had a number of questions related to how I got to this place with the podcast or how I knew to do these things. How did I learn to do them? And for me, it's mostly been experiential. It wasn't a class I took. it was the different people that the Lord had put in my pathway to help me to learn how to best manage my mental health, my life, and even my spiritual journey. The last year has been a great challenge for me and through it all, I have experienced such peace because I know that God is with me and I know that he cares for me and I know that his plans for me are good. And so that is my hope when you hear this. Typically, I record these in the morning because that's when I can find the most quiet time. and that leads me to another thought i want to thank you my faithful listener for being supportive and for being encouraging i can't tell you how many of you left me kind messages comments showed your support and just really kept me going the last few years it's been difficult to record mostly because it's been hard to just find a quiet place where nothing disrupts or interrupts the recording process I've moved several times I finished grad school and I am currently pursuing my calling in the field of education and I'm deeply grateful to the Lord for just him bringing me to this place. With that, thank you to each and every one of you who continues on this walk with me. For tonight's recording, I decided to read two chapters worth of passages. I could do one single verse and just let that be enough. But I think for tonight, it would be nice to set our sights on a scripture that could help us moving forward in the new year. some of this is just a nice reminder of who we are as believers and lovers of the word so before we begin settle in find a comfortable space to relax if you listening to this and you just using it for meditation of the word, make sure that you're not driving in case it makes you drowsy. If you're using it for sleep, now would be the time that you want to relax your body and you want to take a deep breath in and hold it and let it out slowly and here is Psalms 1 blessed is the one who does not walk in step with the wicked or stand in the way that sinners take or sit in the company of mockers but whose delight is in the law of the lord and who meditates on his law day and night. Lord, we love to meditate on your word, to listen for your voice. We delight in all that you have commanded us to do, understanding that your will is for our safety and our success and because you truly love us that person is like a tree planted by the streams of water which yields its fruit in season and whose leaf does not wither whatever they do prospers Lord we pray that we be like a tree planted by a stream by many streams of your living water. Lord, make us to yield fruit at due season. May we be plentiful, beautiful trees that are a demonstration of your goodness. Lord we thank you that whatever we do will prosper in you Holy Spirit we invite you into this time of reading and meditation of the word Thank you for being our comforter, our friend, and our confidant Lord I thank you that as we allow ourselves to be pruned by you and watered we rejoice in the life that you have given us we ask you to remove anything that is displeasing to you anything that does not honor you so that we may move into the new year with a greater sense of peace. Verse 4 Not so the wicked. They are like chafe that the wind blows away. Therefore the wicked will not stand in the judgment nor sinners in the assembly of the righteous. For the Lord watches over the way of the righteous, but the way of the wicked leads to destruction. And as we breathe, we're going to let out everything that has come to cause us pain or stress or made us heavy and weighted we release them those parts as we release the breath And now, Psalms 1 again, this time in another translation. What delight comes to the one who follows God's ways. He won't walk in step with the wicked, nor share the sinner's way. nor be found sitting in the scorner's seat. His passion is to remain true to the word of I am, meditating day and night on the true revelation of light. O Lord, may we be found delighting in you and your word. Help us to remain true to your word. That our thoughts be only of what you say about us and for us. Let us not mull over things that we cannot control or things that have come to harass or torment us. Keep our mind fixed on you. verse 3 he will be standing firm like a flourishing tree planted by God's design deeply rooted by the brooks of bliss bearing fruit in every season of life he is never dry never fainting ever blessed ever prosperous but how different are the wicked they are like chafe blown away by the wind the wicked will not endure the day of judgment for God will not defend them nothing they do will succeed or endure for long for they have no part with those who walk in truth but how different it is for the righteous the Lord embraces their paths as they move forward while the way of the wicked leads only to doom take one more moment if you have not yet fallen asleep to just breathe slowly and deeply remember you are made righteous in Christ Jesus and you prosper like a flourishing tree because of his word and your passion to remain true to him and everything related to him. Take a moment and breathe in And as you breathe out breathe out the pain of your past mistakes and choices breathe in forgiveness and healing Holy Spirit I pray that for any heart that has become stony or scarred you bring healing tonight Lord I pray that you make our hearts be like flesh and that you remove any unforgiveness that we have towards ourselves or others uproot any bitterness or any other evil root that would try to destroy the tree that you have made us. Bring us into a new place of holiness, peace, forgiveness. Bring us to a greater place and a place of increase in passion for you. for all that you've called us to do for your body, for the ministry of the gospel. Help us to see the witness that we are to others in our daily life and that whatever our part is in your body is significant and important to what you desire to do in the earth. Thank you, Jesus. Now, the second scripture that I'm going to read comes from 2 Corinthians. With this scripture as well, I'm going to first read it in the New International Version. And then I'm going to read it again in the Passion Translation. This gives you an opportunity to hear the translation in a way that aligns with the meaning of the word and also a way for you to find connectivity to what God is speaking to you this evening. and so now let us begin with 2nd Corinthians 4 get Corinthians 4 therefore since through God's mercy we have this ministry we do not lose heart rather we have renounced secret and shameful ways we do not use deception nor do we distort the word of God on the contrary by setting forth the truth plainly we commend ourselves to everyone's conscience in the sight of God. And even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled to those who are perishing. the God of this age has blinded the minds of unbelievers so that they cannot see the light of the gospel that displays the glory of Christ who is the image of God for what we preach is not ourselves but Jesus Christ as Lord and ourselves as your servants for Jesus' sake. For God, who said, Let light shine out of darkness, made his light shine in our hearts to give us the light of the knowledge of God's glory displayed in the face of Christ. but we have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this all-surpassing power is from God and not us we are hard-pressed on every side but not crushed perplexed but not in despair persecuted but not abandoned struck down but not destroyed we always carry around in our body the death of Jesus so that the life of Jesus may also be revealed in our body. For we who are alive are always being given over to death for Jesus' sake so that his life may also be revealed in our mortal body. So then death is at work in us but life is at work in you. It is written, I believed, therefore I have spoken. Since we have the same spirit of faith, we also believe and therefore speak. Because we know that the one who raised the Lord Jesus from the dead will also raise us with Jesus and present us with you to himself. All this is for your benefit so that the grace that is reaching more and more people may cause thanksgiving to overflow to the glory of God. Therefore, we do not lose heart, though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by. For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an external glory that far outweighs them all. So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. since what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal. And now, once again, 2 Corinthians 4, this time in another translation. now it's because of God's mercy that we have been entrusted with the privilege of this new covenant ministry And we will not quit or faint with weariness. we reject every shameful cover-up and refuse to resort to cunning trickery or distorting the word of God Lord, thank you for your mercy thank you for entrusting us with your ministry I thank you Lord for perseverance and the ability to not quit or grow faint instead we open up our souls to you by presenting the truth to everyone's conscience in the sight and presence of God Even if our gospel message is veiled, it is only veiled to those who are perishing. For their minds have been blinded by the God of this age, leaving them in unbelief. their blindness keeps them from seeing the dayspring light of the gospel of the glory of Christ who is the divine image of God Lord keep our eyes open to you that our sight may be set upon you if we have dealt with any doubt or unbelief Lord we ask that you remove the veil from our eyes so that we may see you truly and see the dayspring light of the gospel of the glory of Christ verse 5 we don't preach ourselves but rather the lordship of Jesus Christ for we are your servants for Jesus' sake. For God, who said, Let brilliant light shining of darkness is the one who has cascaded his light into us, the brilliant, dawning light of the glorious knowledge of God as we gaze into the face of Jesus Christ. Lord, make us to be those who preach, teach, speak, and share. You. Only you. May our influence in whatever realm we are in be a demonstration of you and point others to you. Lord may we see the brilliance the light of you just as Moses sat on the mountain and asked show me your glory Lord we pray tonight that in our sleep that you show us your glory speak to us Lord whether it be a whisper or a dream a knowing an understanding of your word help us Lord that we don't be full of pride but instead we be filled with humility as we seek to pursue the plans and purposes that you have for us that bring others to you. verse 7 we are like common clay jars that carry this glorious treasure within so that this immeasurable power will be seen as God's not ours though we experience every kind of pressure. We're not crushed. At times, we don't know what to do, but quitting is not an option. We are persecuted by others, but God has not forsaken us. We may be knocked down, but not out. we continually share in the death of Jesus in our own bodies so that the resurrection life of Jesus will be revealed through our humanity we consider living to mean that we are constantly being handed over to death for Jesus so that the life of Jesus will be revealed through our humanity so then death is at work in us but it releases life in you we have the same spirit of faith that is described in the scriptures when it says first i believe then i spoke in faith so we also first believe then speak in faith. We do this because we are convinced that he who raised Jesus will raise us up with him and together we will all be brought into his presence. Yes, all things work for your enrichment so that more of God's marvelous grace will spread to more and more people. resulting in an even greater increase of praise to God bringing him even more glory so no wonder we don't give up for even though our outer person gradually wears out our inner being is renewed every single day. We view our slight, short-lived troubles in the light of eternity. We see our difficulties as the substance that produces for us an eternal weighty glory, far beyond all comparison, because we don't focus our attention on what is seen, but on what is unseen for what is seen is temporary but the unseen realm is eternal Lord, thank you for that reminder tonight I pray that if anyone is still having difficulty with sleeping that you help them to settle in to know and trust you. Bring a calm where there is a storm. Bring peace where there's turbulence and turmoil. Bring joy where there's sorrow. And pour out your love. Pour out an abundant measure of your love. That each and every person listening knows and understands just how much you care for us. Lord, we sleep tonight knowing everything we do is for your glory. In this we pray in Jesus' name. Amen. Good night, listener. Thank you.
