When Sleep Eludes: 5 Psalms to Rest Our Souls on Sleepless Nights (With insights from Steve Cuss and David Mathis)

 

There are nights when the body lies still, but the mind refuses to settle. The room is dark, the world quiet, but inside, the soul stirs — replaying conversations, dreading tomorrow’s unknowns, or weighed down by a grief too heavy for daylight. In those restless hours, our faith is tested not by thunder or storms, but by silence — and sleeplessness.

The Bible is no stranger to the night. Many of its songs — the Psalms — were born in caves, in crisis, and in solitude. Some were penned when the psalmist couldn’t sleep either. These verses give voice to our own nighttime struggles and offer a path toward peace.

Here are five Psalms to guide us through sleepless nights, each inviting us to turn the night watch into worship — supported by the wisdom of Managing Leadership Anxiety by Steve Cuss and Habits of Grace by David Mathis.

1. Psalm 4:8 – Resting in God’s Safety

“In peace I will lie down and sleep, for you alone, O LORD, make me dwell in safety.”

When fear or anxiety threatens to steal our sleep, this verse becomes a quiet declaration of trust. The psalmist doesn’t say his circumstances are safe — he says God makes him dwell in safety.

Steve Cuss notes that anxiety shrinks the space inside us — it makes the world feel narrow, urgent, unsafe. This verse does the opposite. It expands our interior space by reminding us that we are not God — and we don’t have to be. Surrender is possible because Someone greater is on watch.

David Mathis teaches that grace flows through habits — and bedtime is one such sacred habit. When you make prayer your last act before sleep, you create space for grace to reach where sleep cannot.

Whisper this verse slowly while lying in bed. Breathe deeply and exhale your fears into God’s care.

2. Psalm 42:8 – God Sings Over You at Night

“By day the LORD commands his steadfast love, and at night his song is with me, a prayer to the God of my life.”

Some nights are not loud with worry but quiet with emptiness. Loneliness, confusion, or a lingering sense of loss can make the darkness feel like a cave. But here, the psalmist testifies: God’s love is constant, and His presence doesn’t fade after sunset.

Steve Cuss encourages leaders to stop managing outcomes and start attending to presence — God’s presence, our presence, and others’ presence. That’s true at night, too. Rather than trying to "fix" sleeplessness, we can be present with God in it.

David Mathis reminds us that spiritual habits aren't only about structure — they're also about sensitivity. The night can be a space to listen — to God’s song, not our anxiety. You’re not alone. Even in silence, God is humming a tune of mercy over you.

Imagine God singing a love song over you. Let that imagination hush the noise inside.

3. Psalm 77:2–6 – Remembering in the Night

“In the day of my trouble I seek the Lord… You hold my eyelids open… I will remember my song in the night.”

This psalm gives permission to wrestle honestly with God during insomnia. Yet it also offers a path: remember God’s past faithfulness when the present feels overwhelming.

Steve Cuss explains that anxiety often grows when we lose access to our own wisdom or memory. We shrink into the moment and forget the bigger story. Remembering what God has done before reopens the space for peace to return.

David Mathis calls this the discipline of remembrance — a holy habit of looking back to look forward. When sleep won’t come, let memory take its place. Rehearse not your regrets, but His record of grace.

Remember the moments when God came through for you. Let memory lead you back to trust.

4. Psalm 63:6–7 – Meditate in the Night

“When I remember you upon my bed, and meditate on you in the watches of the night; for you have been my help, and in the shadow of your wings I will sing for joy.”

Instead of letting anxious thoughts run wild, the psalmist chooses to meditate on God’s character and care. He doesn't run from the night — he rests within it, under God's wings.

Steve Cuss urges us to "name the sources of our anxiety so we can disempower them." Instead of ruminating — repeating anxious thoughts that go nowhere — we can redirect our minds toward God's unchanging truth.

David Mathis says meditation is the bridge between hearing and transformation. It's not about escaping reality, but about realigning your thoughts with God's reality. That’s the work of the Spirit in the night hours — gently tuning your heart to trust.

Ruminate about God’s His mercy, strength, or gentleness and speak it gently to yourself as you lie still.

5. Psalm 121:3–4 – God Never Sleeps

“He who keeps you will not slumber. Behold, he who keeps Israel will neither slumber nor sleep.”

Perhaps the most comforting truth of all: God is awake, so you don’t have to be.

Cuss notes that we carry too much — people’s expectations, unspoken fears, imagined futures — and it leads to chronic anxiety. This psalm invites a divine exchange: hand over the night to the One who never dozes off.

Mathis frames this as a matter of grace: “Sleep is an act of trust.” Every time you lay your head down, you’re practicing the gospel — admitting your limits and relying on God's limitless care.

Take a breath and pray: “You are awake. I can rest.”

Night an Invitation, Not a Threat

Sleeplessness is not always a punishment. Sometimes it’s an invitation — to pray, to surrender, to weep, or to simply be with the One who never leaves. The Psalms remind us that we’re not the first to face sleepless nights, and we’re never alone in them.

Jesus Himself had sleepless nights. In Gethsemane, while the disciples slept, He stayed awake — praying, sweating blood, carrying the weight of the world’s sin. And even now, He intercedes for us at the right hand of the Father. If you lie awake tonight, know this: Christ is awake, too.

So let the night not be a threat, but a threshold. Not a void, but a vigil. Not a burden, but a sacred space where grace still flows.

You may not sleep. But you can still rest.
You are seen. You are sung over. You are safe.