Date: Saturday, 16th August, 2025
Text: Acts 12:1-18
Author: Pastor Adedeji Fadehan
Exhortation:
Insomnia is the name medical experts give to the inability to easily fall asleep, waking up too frequently at night or waking up too early with an inability to return back to sleep. Such people may find themselves weak and drowsy in the daytime; they may find themselves struggling with the ability to concentrate or may be forgetting things easily.
One of the things responsible for this could be anxiety. When the mind is crowded with a lot of worries, sleep may be driven far away. In Daniel 6, King Darius was unable to sleep after delivering a deadly judgment of confinement in the den of lions against Daniel (who was falsely accused of revolt against the king). Daniel happened to be the most distinguished member of his cabinet.
Due to the weight of his decree, the king refused food and any form of entertainment and was distressed in his mind. The next morning, he rushed to the lions’ den to see what had become of Daniel. His peace returned when he realized that God had preserved the life of his friend in the midst of the lions- Daniel 6:1-23.
However, there is something remarkable about the case of Peter when he was arrested for no reason other than persecution and locked up in jail. He was bound with two chains and guarded by sixteen (16) soldiers. The night before he was to be brought to court for trial and death sentence, he was found fast asleep in his prison. Can you imagine that?
How was Peter able to sleep while he was in chains, a night before his death sentence? The answer is very simple: he had peace that surpasses human understanding. The word of God says, “Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.” Philippians 4:6-7
Peter experienced unusual peace in the midst of his storm. Did he die in the hands of Herod, his enemy? No. The same God who delivered Daniel from the lion’s den, sent his angels who delivered the apostle miraculously- Acts 12:1-18.
That same God is still alive. Put your trust in him. Cast all your burdens on him and he will deliver you from every stormy situation in Jesus name.
Action Nugget: Don’t allow worry or anxiety to rob you of your sleep.
Bible in One Year: Jeremiah 37-39