Biblical Counseling & A Practical Theology of Sleep

Psalm 139:14: 

I will praise You 

because I have been remarkably and wondrously made.
Your works are wondrous, 

and I know this very well.

When was the last time you thought about sleep? 

So often, when the subject of sleep comes up or is being considered, the context is a foregone conclusion. It is most commonly associated with wishing we got or could get more of it. And yet, it appears ever elusive. 

The modern world is buzzing 24 hours a day. Between our smartphones, tablets, computers, TVs, digital billboards, and everything in between, our brains are constantly stimulated with data and information. Furthermore, many, when they clean or do household chores, will throw on a pair of headphones and listen to podcast or music. Or when we are in our vehicles, we talk on the phone (hopefully, again using wireless headphones). Further yet, many more fall asleep to a show, white noise, or some other form of stimulation. There is almost no place we go that is “at rest.” If anything…it is more so treated as an inconvenience interruption. 

Is this how the Christian should be living? Should our lives be so stimulated that a reprieve from life is reduced to an interruption? Certainly not. Instead, we must carefully consider one of God’s primary means of resetting ourselves in the midst of our busy lives: sleep. 

Sleep begs questions: 

• Is sleep really necessary?
• What does God think about sleep? 
• What does sleep have to do with biblical counseling? 

In this short submission, we’re going to answer these questions in such a way to help reframe our thinking on the subject, position us to have a healthier theology of sleep, and ensure that we set ourselves up for the most sanctification possible through our biblical counseling efforts. 

Is sleep really necessary? 

I’ll briefly discuss the theological reality of sleep in the next section. For the moment – let’s consider our bodies. 

For the human body, which is fearfully and wonderfully made in the image and likeness of God (Genesis 1:26-28; Psalm 139:14), sleep is essential. God designed the human body with incredible potential, but that potential is finite. We have energy, but that energy is partly created via metabolizing food. We have incredible intellectual prowess, but our brains have to be exercised and fed new information in order to stay sharp and nimble. And, in order to do any of these things to their designed level, our bodies require rest in the form of sleep. Without it, the metabolic system of the body becomes sluggish, and energy depletes. Further, without sleep, our intellect, powered by our brains, becomes less sharp, and our ability to think dramatically lowers. 

Consider this. The brain uses a tremendous volume of the total resources of the body at any given moment. The neuroscience research on this slightly varies, but it is believed that the brain uses up to 25% of the total energy supply of the body at any given moment—one-fourth of the entire energy supply of the body in consistent use. Relatedly, research from the reputable University of Rochester, in New York, have demonstrated that sleep has an intricate role in cleaning the brain. While the rest of the body relies on the lymphatic system to cleanse itself, the central nervous system uses sleep as a primary vehicle to bathe and cleanse the brain. Meaning, when you do not sleep, your brain is not cleaned, and thus, it functions far more poorly. Furthermore, sleep has been proven through decades of study to be intimately involved in the health of the immune system, body temperature regulation, low blood pressure, memory retention, and digestion.

The point is this…the body suffers at multiple points without sleep. So, yes, sleep is not just really necessary, it is essential for optimal functioning in our madeness. 

What does God think about sleep? 

Above, I noted that God created the human body with incredible potential, but created our bodies to be finite. Meaning, the human body is not, in and of itself, sufficient. We see this as early as the Garden of Eden and will continue to experience it on into eternity (I’ll save the eschatological implications for another post). God placed limits on humanity, particularly in the body, in order that we would remember that we are ultimately dependent on Him and not sufficient on our own. We are sustained in our very existence. We are a dependent entity on One who is entirely independent (Psalm 121:4; Revelation 1:8). 

This is a good thing. Mahaney goes so far as to write that sleep is not just a forced act of humility, but a cherished gift from God. Perspective is everything. To view sleep as a chain is to misunderstand our createdness. But, to see it as a gift is to remind and position ourselves and our counselees to consistently remember our need for the loving support of the One who made us. Sleep reminds us of the hollowness of our own efforts, and the lavish supply of rest and resources available in Creator God, who promises to provide for all our needs (Philippians 4:19). Sleep prompts us to look at life from God’s perspective, and instills a longing in us for eternity that won’t require sleep as a reprieve from toil, but rest as a permanent state of being (Matthew 11:28). 

As such, God values sleep. God wants us to sleep to: use our bodies to the best of our fearfully and wonderfully made potential (worship), remind us that in our sinful humanness we are finite, prompt us to look at life (and sleep, as a part of it) from God’s perspective, and point us to consider eternity and eternal rest. 

So…we have covered body and theology. How does this relate to biblical counseling? 

What does sleep have to do with biblical counseling? 

Biblical counseling, in short, is the use of God’s Word (the Bible) as a manual for personal refinement (sanctification and change) in a guiding relationship with another person. For this process of refinement and change to go well, we need to grow in two areas. Unshockingly, they are the two areas I’ve outlined for us: (1) wisdom in how we use our bodies, and (2) wisdom in obedience to what God has designed. 

Consider Galatians 5:16-26: 

¹⁶ I say, then, walk by the Spirit and you will certainly not carry out the desire of the flesh. ¹⁷ For the flesh desires what is against the Spirit, and the Spirit desires what is against the flesh; these are opposed to each other, so that you don’t do what you want. ¹⁸ But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law.

¹⁹ Now the works of the flesh are obvious: sexual immorality, moral impurity, promiscuity, ²⁰ idolatry, sorcery, hatreds, strife, jealousy, outbursts of anger, selfish ambitions, dissensions, factions, ²¹ envy, drunkenness, carousing, and anything similar. I am warning you about these things—as I warned you before—that those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God.

²² But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, ²³ gentleness, and self-control. The law is not against such things.  ²⁴ Now those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. ²⁵ If we live by the Spirit, let us also keep in step with the Spirit. ²⁶ Let us not become conceited, provoking one another, envying one another.

Walking by the flesh:  

• The flesh desires self-sufficiency, therefore, it does not desire sleep.
• The flesh desires selfish ambition, therefore, it does not desire dependency.
• The flesh is conceited, therefore, it desires to think highly of itself.

And this is to say nothing of sleep decreasing our sharpness and lowering the volume of energy and resources we have for critical thinking, thus increasing our susceptibility to compromise in the battle against sin. 

Walking by the Spirit: 

• Is opposed to self-sufficiency, and desires God’s strength—recognizing God’s gift of sleep as a blessing.
• Crucifies the self-sufficient passions of the flesh and joyfully chooses dependency, specifically on dependable-Jesus.
• Recognizes the fruits of the Spirit are a product of obedience to God’s commands, not obedience to our desires.

When we sleep… 

• Our bodies reject self-sufficiency in the very act thereof and boast of God’s creative work.
• Our brains are sharp, which results in a sharp mind to more effectively study and know God’s Word, pursue the fruits of the Spirit, and have greater victory in the battle against sin.
• Our perspective is sobered to long for a day when we trade the need for sleep for eternal rest, and the work of change is over. Sleep positions to live with eternity in mind.

So…prioritize sleep. Tell your counselees to prioritize good sleep. And let’s expand our perspective to live for God in every way possible. 

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