Verses for When You Can't Sleep

It's the middle of the night and your mind won't stop. Here are nine verses for exactly that, including the ones written by people who were also awake, and a way to get one matched to how you're actually feeling.

By SimpleBible Editorial 2 min read
A bedside table at night with an analogue clock, a glass of water and a closed Bible, lit by cold moonlight through blinds

The short answer

Scripture has more to say about sleepless nights than most verse lists admit. Alongside the well-known promises, "I will both lay me down in peace, and sleep" (Psalm 4:8) and "so he giveth his beloved sleep" (Psalm 127:2), there are verses written by people who could not sleep at all and said so plainly. Both kinds are below, because at 3am the second kind is often the one that helps.

Nine verses for the middle of the night

"I will both lay me down in peace, and sleep: for thou, LORD, only makest me dwell in safety." (Psalm 4:8)

"Thou holdest mine eyes waking: I am so troubled that I cannot speak." (Psalm 77:4)

Somebody lay awake and decided God was the one keeping their eyes open. That line was kept.

"When I lie down, I say, When shall I arise, and the night be gone? and I am full of tossings to and fro unto the dawning of the day." (Job 7:4)

"I am weary with my groaning; all the night make I my bed to swim; I water my couch with my tears." (Psalm 6:6)

"It is vain for you to rise up early, to sit up late, to eat the bread of sorrows: for so he giveth his beloved sleep." (Psalm 127:2)

The bread of sorrows is a good name for what you eat at 1am when you are still working.

"When thou liest down, thou shalt not be afraid: yea, thou shalt lie down, and thy sleep shall be sweet." (Proverbs 3:24)

"When I remember thee upon my bed, and meditate on thee in the night watches." (Psalm 63:6)

"My soul waiteth for the Lord more than they that watch for the morning: I say, more than they that watch for the morning." (Psalm 130:6)

Said twice, the way you say things at 4am.

"He will not suffer thy foot to be moved: he that keepeth thee will not slumber. Behold, he that keepeth Israel shall neither slumber nor sleep." (Psalm 121:3-4)

You are awake. So is he.

Get one matched to right now

There isn't a dedicated "can't sleep" feeling in Today's Verse. The closest match is Tired. Either way, the app matches a verse to how you're doing three times a day, including an evening one, out of a rotating set for that feeling, so it's never the same one on repeat.

Get today's verse matched to how you're feeling, right in the app.

A short prayer for the middle of the night

God, it's late and I'm still here, going over the same things. I'm not asking for a solution tonight, just for the noise to drop. You are awake anyway. Keep watch, and let me stop keeping watch. Hold what I can't put down until morning. Amen.

Common questions

What is the best Bible verse for when you can't sleep?

Psalm 4:8 is the one most people reach for: "I will both lay me down in peace, and sleep: for thou, LORD, only makest me dwell in safety." If a promise about peaceful sleep is hard to read while you're wide awake, Psalm 121:4 does something different and says God is not sleeping either: "he that keepeth Israel shall neither slumber nor sleep."

Does the Bible say anything about insomnia?

It does, and not only as a problem to be fixed. Psalm 77:4 is a man telling God "Thou holdest mine eyes waking." Job 7:4 describes tossing until dawn. Psalm 6:6 describes crying through the night. None of those verses resolve inside themselves, and they were kept in the book anyway.

What does "he giveth his beloved sleep" mean?

Psalm 127:2 sets it against overwork: rising early, staying up late, and eating "the bread of sorrows." The contrast is between sleep as something you earn by finishing everything and sleep as something handed over. The verse doesn't promise you'll fall asleep tonight. It puts rest in the category of a gift rather than an achievement.

How is this different from the app's daily verse?

This page is a fixed list. The app matches a verse to how you're feeling from a rotating set of ten per feeling, three times a day including an evening one, so it's rarely the same one twice, and each comes with a short prayer written for it.

Sources

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