1 On that night the king could not sleep. And he gave orders to bring the book of memorable deeds, the chronicles, and they were read before the king. (Esther 6:1 ESV)

I have had my fair share of sleepless nights. Often I will wake up and my mind shifts into gear and before I know if I have been tossing and turning for more than an hour unable to shut it down. Recently I have begun to get up and write down the thoughts spinning in my head, then pick up my Bible and start reading.

This, I have found, does two things. It calms my restless mind and it provides God an opening if there is something He is trying to get my attention on. I will often jot down passages or thoughts in my journal when I am doing this late night/early morning reading. In the light of day I may find that God is pointing to something in my life I need to take care of.

In truth, these night time mental vigils can be refreshing. Yes, I will end up a bit tired the next day, but they tend to help me clarify my thoughts on issues that are bothering me. That or, as I said, they lead me to some message God is trying to convey. In either case while I do not like losing sleep I general find more value that the sleep would have brought me.