Bliss!
A strange thing happened a couple of months ago.
A cargo ship crashed into a guy’s front garden. Yes, his front garden. That’s because his house was close to the edge of the water. And because said cargo ship—all 450 feet of it—ran aground. In the Trondheimsfjord off Byneset in Trondheim, Norway.
And our man’s bedroom was only a few feet away from the stern of the ship. He is safe.
But here’s the strange fact: Johan Helberg had been sound asleep when the catastrophe happened. And he remained sound asleep through the catastrophe.
He was woken up when a neighbor rushed around to check if Mr. Helberg was OK. He was.
Recounted Helberg:
The doorbell rang at a time when I don’t really like opening the door. I like to go back to sleep. But it was a very insistent ring, so I finally went to answer it. And there’s a guy I know very well standing there, looking at me in amazement and saying: ‘Have you not seen the ship?’ But I hadn’t. So I went to the window and saw it.”
No injuries or oil spills have been reported, and authorities plan to remove the ship at high tide. Roger Gustafson, from the local police force, said an investigation would be launched to try to find out what happened. He added there was currently no suspicion of anyone being under the influence of drugs or alcohol. (Neither ship operators nor the sleeping Mr. Helberg, I might add.)
But, really, how does one sleep through that?
And all kinds of catastrophes surround us each day. In the world, in our nation, and even in our own lives. How do we sleep through those?
Well, there is a theological reason believers can sleep.
For He [God] gives to His beloved
even in his sleep.
Psalm 127:2
God gives even when we sleep. That’s the Psalmist’s way of saying:
Nope, don’t fool yourself into thinking you are in control, or that you need to be in control—wide awake, senses alert, sweating profusely, working hard, wearying oneself. Not at all. It is God who gives. And He gives even if you are sleeping. And, well, if He gives even when we sleep, we might as well go sleep peacefully, trusting Him.”
I don’t know how your 2025 has been thus far. Struggling, striving, straining, stressing, stretching, …. Sleepless.
Then we need to read Solomon’s words again … and relax. For it is God who gives, and, you know what? He gives even when we sleep. Even when we are beset by trouble, turmoil, and turbulence.
Because our God is completely and totally in control. And he, this God of ours—nope, he doesn’t sleep.
I lift my eyes towards the mountains. From where comes my help?
My help [comes] from Yahweh, the One who made the heavens and the earth.
May He not give your foot to tottering; may He not slumber—the One who keeps you.
Behold, He will not slumber and He will not sleep—the One who keeps Israel.
Psalm 121:1–4
So may we sleep soundly now and always!
Yahweh [is] the One who keeps you; Yahweh [is] your shade on your right hand.
By day, the sun, it will not strike you, or the moon by night.
Yahweh, He will keep you from all evil; He will keep your soul.
Yahweh, He will keep your going and your coming from now unto forever.
Psalm 121:5–8
I need to catch me some zzzs!
SOURCE: Sky News
Abe Kuruvilla is the Carl E. Bates Professor of Christian Preaching at The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary (Louisville, KY), and a dermatologist in private practice. His passion is to explore, explain, and exemplify preaching. 