Rest Stop 52
January 03, 2015
"Then the king returned to his palace and spent the
night without eating and without any entertainment
being brought to him. And he could not sleep" - Daniel 6:18.
The king had been duped into sentencing Daniel to spend a night in the lion's den. Consequently, he could not sleep because of worry, knowing he had made a bad decision that risked the life of his loyal servant. When leaders don't do right, they lose their ability to rest, for then they have to worry about the results of their poor or misguided decisions. Contrast this to what David said in Psalm 3:3: "I lie down and sleep; I wake again, because the Lord sustains me." Rest isn't dependent upon going to a nice vacation spot or spending time with family or friends. Real rest depends on integrity, honesty and righteousness. Without those characteristics, leaders may close their eyes and sleep but they will not be able to find true rest.
LEADERSHIP STEP: Your Step today is to keep track of your thoughts when you are supposed to be at rest. What are you thinking about? Are you playing out scenarios in your mind of what may happen because of what you have done, said or decided? When you should rest, is the Lord sustaining you or do you need sleep help, such as pills or alcohol? Do you have troubling dreams that disturb your rest? Is God empowering your rest times? If not, why not?