You cry out from the depths of weariness, and it is good that you have turned to the Father of mercies. He who keeps Israel neither slumbers nor sleeps, and He knows our frame, that we are dust. Yet take care that your exhaustion not become a sleep of the soul. For there is a slumber that overtakes us even against our will, when the body fails; but there is another sleep, a drunkenness of vice, that comes from our own choice, when we do nothing good and our eyes are closed to things eternal. Do not let your physical weakness lead you into that deeper stupor. The apostle charges us: let us watch and be sober. Sobriety is the intensity of watchfulness, and it belongs to the day, which depends on ourselves. So even as you seek rest for your body, keep your soul awake to virtue.
The peace you ask for, God will give, but understand what that peace is. It is not merely the absence of trouble, nor the soft comfort of the world, which is a dream and a phantasy. Riches, glory, and all such things are fleeting shadows. True peace comes when the diseased part is cut off, when the mutinous thought is brought into subjection. It is the fruit of the Spirit, along with love and joy, and it springs from a good conscience alone. He that has this, though clad in rags and struggling with famine, is of better spirits than those who live in luxury. So do not think that peaceful sleep and strength for tomorrow depend on your circumstances; they depend on the state of your soul. If there is any wickedness unconfessed, any root of bitterness or love of the world, pluck it out. The God of peace, who brought again from the dead the great Shepherd of the sheep through the blood of the everlasting covenant, will make you perfect in every good work, working in you that which is well-pleasing in His sight.
Let your prayer be not only for rest, but for holiness, without which no man shall see the Lord. Follow peace with all men, as much as lies in you, even with those who trouble you. Bearing evil nobly is a great weapon; it shames the wrongdoer and brings a reward to your own soul. And do not forsake the assembling of yourselves together, for isolation makes you an easy prey. In the company of the faithful, in the prayers of the church, you will find strength and true refreshment.
Therefore, lift up your head. He who broke the bonds of Paul and Silas at midnight, and turned the jailer’s terror into joy, is near to you this night. Commit your weariness to Him, and let your heart be stayed on the hope of the resurrection. Then you will lie down in peace and sleep, for the Lord alone makes you dwell in safety. And when you rise, His strength will be made perfect in your weakness.