“I will both lie down in peace, and sleep; for You alone, O Lord, make me dwell in safety” (Ps 4:8).
The human ear controls not only hearing but balance, and those who have suffered from vertigo know it only too well. But did you know that the eyes control more than sight? After passing by the retina, light journeys through a special section along the optic nerve to a part of the brain called the suprachiasmatic nucleus. This is the brain’s pacemaker, which regulates the body’s circadian rhythm, our twenty-four-hour clock. Using melatonin, it tells us when to rise and shine, and when to go to sleep. Some of us fidget with the controls, usually not to our long-term benefit!
But in our verse, the psalmist puts his finger on one disruption of the believer’s sleep—a lack of security. Yes, there are dangers of every kind lurking in this fallen world. But as our Savior reminds us, though “in the world you will have tribulation,” in spite of this, “in Me you may have peace” (Jn 16:33).