As a young mother, I never had trouble sleeping. The challenges of working, rearing two little girls, and, later, homeschooling them guaranteed that as soon as I closed my eyes, I’d fall fast asleep. Now that my children are grown, I sometimes find it hard to sleep. Or I awaken in the night and struggle to fall back asleep because my mind is swirling with fearful thoughts or frightening possibilities.

I’ve discovered, though, that sleepless nights are the perfect time to pray. As I pray, God replaces my fears with His peace. Sometimes I even fall asleep in the middle of a prayer. What a sweet answer to the promise that God will grant us peace when we center our minds on Him!