The past few weeks I have not slept well, and have been woken up for one reason or another. Most recently I have not slept because of severe pain and nausea and the side effects from treatments which made me frustrated. Then I had a come to Jesus meeting that put my pity party in its place. I’m sure in your own struggles you know exactly what I mean. Then the Lord helped me find praise instead of pity. I promise you that in the bleakest of times if you stop and ask the Lord to give you some praise in your situation, He will. [clickToTweet tweet=”God may not change your circumstance but He can certainly change your perspective.” quote=”God may not change your circumstance but He can certainly change your perspective.”] That being said, during my sleepless nights lately I have tried to find the joy instead of lamenting or thinking about how hard things are.

A couple activities that are helping me keep the right attitude during these sleepless nights are praying and reading devotional a and biographies from some of my heroes in the faith. The Lord has shown me that these unexpected wake up calls provide an excellent time to pour out my heart to the Lord and to ponder His Word. It has aso helped as I’ve read the stories of many others who have gone before me such as Elisabeth Elliot, Amy Carmichael, and Darlene Rose, just to name a few. The same God who walked them through the fires they faced in life can carry me as well. I’m not the only one facing a trial and I won’t be the last one so it’s comforting to know we are not alone.

The next time you find yourself not able to sleep, spend that time talking to God asking Him to turn your pity into praise. I promise you that He will not disappoint, and He will give you the inner peace and rest your soul so desperately needs.