It seems everyone is busy these days. Twenty-four hours doesn’t seem to be enough to get everything done and still leave time for the right amount of sleep. Even kids can “burn the candle at both ends,” filling their days with sports and extra curricular activities that leave them little time for sleep.

Just a few days ago, however, an article ran in the U.S. News & World Report Health section that talked about six surprising benefits of getting enough sleep. The author, Melinda Johnson, states not getting enough sleep is counterproductive. Our bodies need enough rest to allow us to perform mental tasks, retain information, and stay sharp. You can read the entire article here, and if you Google “the benefits of getting enough sleep” you’ll find more evidence that getting enough sleep each night will make a difference in many ways.

One way to look at sleep is as a gift from God. It seems unusual, but when digging into what the Bible says about sleep, I discovered David Reagan from Learn the Bible asked followers of his ministry to consider it as such, citing Psalms 127:2: “It is vain for you to rise up early, to sit up late, to eat the bread of sorrows: for so he giveth his beloved sleep.” (KJV)

God doesn’t want us to struggle day in and day out, going from one place to the next, without taking time to get adequate sleep. Doesn’t Jesus say in the Gospel of Matthew, “Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.” (Mt 11:28, KJV)?

So, the next time you’re tempted to stay up later than you should, think about the blessing of a good night’s rest as another way to honor Him.