Jesus ate, drank, wept, and slept. Think about the wonder and awe of this reality: the Son of God took on human flesh and entered into the ordinary limitations of everyday human life (Philippians 2:7). He experienced hunger, thirst, sorrow, and fatigue. He understands our weaknesses in a profoundly personal way and sympathizes with us (Hebrews 4:15). Because we are his beloved children, we are called to imitate and follow him (Ephesians 5:1-2).
Jesus Slept
Jesus needed sleep from the first day of his life. The King of kings spent his first night in a humble feeding trough. Throughout his earthly ministry, Jesus would grow weary and sit to rest, as he did when he met the Samaritan woman at the well (John 4:6). Yet there is only one place in Scripture where we are given a detailed account of Jesus sleeping.
The Gospel of Mark captures the startling scene of Jesus sleeping in a storm (Mark 4:35–41). The disciples set out in a boat to cross the Sea of Galilee when a fierce wind arose. Waves crashed against the boat, and water rushed in. But despite the clamor and chaos, Jesus slept on a cushion. Nothing about the storm was peaceful. The danger was real, yet the Savior slept.
Jesus slept despite the storm, and his sleep served a purpose. The disciples woke him up and asked, “Teacher, do you not care that we are perishing?” (v. 38). Jesus rebuked the wind and calmed the storm with a word. Jesus was not showing off his power. He was teaching his closest followers what it meant to trust him. Why should they trust him? Because of who he is.
Our Father in Heaven Watches Over Us While We Sleep
Some nights, we lie down to go to sleep while the storms of life swirl around us. Our problems may not have solutions, our questions may not have answers, and our circumstances may remain unchanged. But we do not need to stay awake searching for solutions, answers, and changes. Our Father never stops watching over us while we sleep (Psalm 121:3–4). When we remember that, sleep becomes an act of surrender, an acknowledgement that we are not God, and the God of the universe does not need us to stay awake and help him.
But does surrendering to God mean that we will always sleep peacefully every night? Does sleeplessness mean that our faith is insufficient? Christians can experience many causes of poor sleep, from insomnia and illness to anxiety and anger. Struggling to sleep can itself become a significant source of suffering. We might try a million things to sleep, but we cannot command sleep to come. We can receive sleep, but we cannot conquer it.
When You Can’t Sleep, Wait for Jesus
If I cannot control sleep or force it to come, what can I do? I can rest in Jesus in the darkness and wait, not for sleep alone but for him. I can entrust him with the problems I cannot solve, the questions I cannot answer, and the circumstances I cannot change. I can stop trying to carry tomorrow. I can remember that while I am awake, he is with me. While I am asleep, he remains awake. The storms of life may still crash into the boat, and sleep may not come. But I am in the boat with Jesus.
With this in mind, the focus in the darkness of the night can begin to shift from frustration to faithfulness. Even sleepless moments can become moments of rest, not necessarily physical rest, but rest in Christ. You can trust your Savior not only with a sleepless night, but also a weary tomorrow.
We looked at how Jesus slept, but it is good to remember that Jesus did not always sleep. Key moments in his ministry were defined by sleepless nights. In the gospel of Matthew, we find the disciples again on the Sea of Galilee. This time, Jesus is not in the boat but on the mountain where he was praying (Matthew 14:23). A wind was against the disciples, and they strained at the oars. In the fourth watch of the night (3-6 AM), Jesus divinely saw their struggle with the waves and approached the boat, walking on the water.
Believing Jesus to be a ghost, the disciples were terrified. Hearing the Savior’s call to take courage and come, Peter stepped out of the boat and became frightened. Jesus took him by the hand and brought him into the boat. The wind hushed, and the waves stilled. The disciples worshiped him and said, “You are certainly God’s Son” (Matthew 14:33)! Jesus prayed and stayed awake to teach the important lesson of trust to his disciples.
Here we find Jesus on the same sea with a similar windy storm, again teaching his disciples the importance of trusting him. Jesus was not careless with sleep. He knew when to sleep and when to remain awake. He received sleep as a gift on the storm-tossed boat and surrendered sleep on the raging sea when love and obedience required it.
Sleeping Like Jesus Means Becoming Like Him
How to sleep like Jesus is not a prescription for how many hours you need to sleep each night. It is about progressively transforming into someone who can entrust both their sleeping and their waking to God. If sleep doesn’t come, this perspective of trust allows you to pray openly and honestly to the Lord. “Father, I cannot force myself to go to sleep. I cannot control how things will go tomorrow. But I can entrust this night to you.”
Sometimes Christians sleep well, and sometimes they don’t. The reasons may be complicated. You may do everything right, but still be awake in the fourth watch of the night. Here is an opportunity to practice trust in God.
Cast your concerns to your Savior who understands. Jesus slept and needed rest. He also stayed awake. He sympathizes with our weaknesses and knows that we are but dust. He not only created us but lived among us. Jesus teaches us how to receive sleep, and he teaches us how to trust God when sleep doesn’t come.
Sleep like Jesus. And when sleep won’t come, rest in Jesus.
Shepherding TIme
Our struggles with sleep impact every area of life, from physical and spiritual health to emotional well-being and thinking clearly. Blending medical insight with biblical wisdom, physician and pastor Matt Rehrer explores both the physical and spiritual reasons why we struggle to sleep. With clarity and compassion, he explains how sleep works, why it often fails, and what our restless nights reveal about both our bodies and our souls.
