When Your Mind Won’t Shut Down
—Grace & Truth Linkup
Daytime Work/Nighttime Rest
Does your mind work overtime too? It’s hard to close down my brain at the end of the day.
And when I wake up at 2 a.m.? There it goes again.
But as you’ve heard me write about in the past, one thing that really helps me tremendously is scripture memorization.
When I wake up and can’t go back to sleep, I call upon my daytime work with God to ease me back into nighttime rest with God. I need a relaxed mindset of security, of dependency on God’s goodness, to rock me back to sleep.
I don’t always go back to sleep, granted. Insomnia is kind of my thing the past few years.
But even if I stay awake, meditating on the beauty of God protects my mind from going too crazy.
Recalling scripture isn’t just for nighttime, of course. In the daylight I ask God to shift the words from my head to my heart. It requires a move of the Spirit for it to happen.
Scripture memorization isn’t for everyone. We each respond to different things. But for me? It’s a gift of grace.
We’ve just started memorizing Matthew 7 last week with Do Not Depart. It’s not too late to join in, if you’d like to give it a try. Get the details here.
Featured Post
This week’s featured post explains how Mariel moved from shame to grace through renewing her mind on God’s messages to her in Romans 12:2 and Psalm 103:12.
Her story will encourage you to keep memorizing scripture, even when it gets laborious or difficult.
Read Mariel’s post here, then link your own blog post below. Let’s encourage each other to stay aware of Christ’s presence in the ways that work for each of us.
“How to Practice Grace with a Renewed Mind”
Thanks for sharing, Mariel! Here’s a button for your blog.
1. Share 1 or 2 of your most recent CHRISTIAN LIVING posts. (No DIY, crafts, recipes, or inappropriate articles.) All links are randomly sorted.
2. Comment on 1 or 2 other links. Grace & Truth linkup encourages community.
3. Every host features one entry from the previous week. To be featured, include this button or link back here on your post (mandatory to be featured, but not to participate).
We encourage you to follow our hosts on their blogs or social media.
MAREE DEE – Embracing the Unexpected
Blog | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | Pinterest
HEATHER HART & VALERIE RIESE – Candidly Christian
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LAUREN SPARKS
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LISA BURGESS – Lisa notes
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Now Let’s Link Up!
Do you memorize scripture, too? Any tips to share? A favorite verse? Please share your thoughts in the comments.
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Seems as if I meet a new friend here every week, Lisa! Thank you for that!
Glad to hear it, Michele. Our blogging friendship circles continue to widen! 🙂
What a blessing and encouragement to be featured among such a precious group of inspiring writers! Thank you, Lisa! So grateful for this community!
We’re thankful you’re part of our beautiful community here, Mariel! And thankful for your contribution to our spiritual growth. Your post really moved me.
You know, I really thought I read almost every post last week, but apparently I missed several good ones. Thanks for featuring Mariel’s post, Lisa!
Dear Lisa, Thanks for featuring this post and these great reminders! Hiding His Word in our hearts is such a blessing! And He has brought His Word back to me time after time when I most needed it. Blessings to both you, and Mariel this week.
Thank you, Lisa, for featuring Mariel’s post. I was greatly blessed by her story, having battled shame most of my life. Such a great encouragement!
This is a great reminder about memorizing scripture. I love the intention to ask God to move it from our mind to our heart. Thank you for sharing, and for hosting. I’m looking forward to reading Mariel’s post. (And I wonder if we pronounce our names the same! 😉 Have a great weekend!
What a great post! So glad you featured it, Lisa.
I hate that feeling when I can’t sleep. But I’ve learned to talk to God in that time. It always reminds me of when my kids were little and I would hold them as they talked. We were present with each other. And it was always beautiful when they fell asleep in my arms. I try to do that with Jesus.
Oh, how I can empathize with not being able to sleep. There are nights when my mind just won’t shut off! Rather than getting up and doing something constructive as you do, I toss and turn (and keep Bill awake too!). Thanks for the wonderful suggestion!
I sleep pitifully most nights these days. I usually use a simple prayer as mantra – praying it over and over. Maybe I should mix scripture memory in too!
Thank you for sharing – and it is such a good practice for dealing with anxious thoughts to meditate on scripture – particularly in the night hours!
I so agree that repeating memorized scripture is so helpful on nights I have trouble getting my brain to shut down. I learned this as a small child. The first verse I learned to repeat over and over was, “What time I am afraid, I will trust in thee.” Ps. 56:3 KJV
It really helps!
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