There are two things I do every day –no matter what: Wake up in the morning and go to sleep at night.

It’s a simple pattern common to just about everyone. So simple that we hardly think about it.

For some reason this morning I had a strange thought: sleep is a major form of faith.

Why? Because when you sleep, you release all control. You cease to be conscious, you cease to be on guard, you cease to be aware of your environment.

Ultimately, you are trusting that somehow you will wake up and everything will be okay after eight hours of total release.

While we may say that we trust in our alarm clocks to wake us up, the issue goes deeper. Alarm clocks can be disarmed by electrical blackouts. But we still keep waking up refreshed. How is that? Who is in charge?

Rest is a biblical picture of faith. When we rest we are completely depending upon God to provide all of our needs. Just like a sleeping baby completely depends upon their parent’s care, we completely trust God when we rest in Him. That’s why the Bible continuously reminds us to rest:

Psalm 37:7, Rest in the Lord

Isaiah 30:15, In returning and rest you shall be saved; in quietness and in trust shall be your strength.

Matthew 11:28-29, Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.

Rest is a very spiritual thing. So important that God created the Sabbath for us to practice resting every week!

And while all of this talk may be causing you to crave a power-nap, the real issue is not physical rest (although that is biblically important as well), but spiritual rest. In fact, the writer of Hebrews actually tells us (paradoxically) to “strive to enter that rest” (Hebrews 4:11).

So tonight, before your head hits the pillow, just think about the faith you are exercising as you turn over complete control to him during your sleep.

But more importantly, when you wake up, resist the urge to take back control. Instead, strive to rest in the Lord by faith all day long.