Latest / Abide Meditation App / 1 Hour Bedtime Story for Deep Relaxing Sleep_ God is More Than Enough
Transcript
- 0:00Speaker 1: Find rest as you listen to this peaceful bedtime story.
- 0:04Speaker 1: For more Bible stories that bring you refreshing sleep, download
- 0:08Speaker 1: the Abide app and the iTunes or Google play store.
- 0:13Speaker 2: Welcome to this subide prayer and meditation. God is more
- 0:17Speaker 2: than enough. This bedtime story will guide you into a
- 0:22Speaker 2: relaxing night of sleep. Before we begin, make sure all
- 0:28Speaker 2: the distractions around you are removed so you can get
- 0:33Speaker 2: a good night's rest. Take a deep breath inhaling the
- 0:42Speaker 2: sweetness of God, exhaling the worries and stress of your day.
- 0:52Speaker 2: Snuggle in and allow God's word to take you to
- 0:57Speaker 2: a land of dreams as you prepare for sleep. Maybe
- 1:06Speaker 2: you feel you can't do enough to earn God's pleasure,
- 1:11Speaker 2: or thoughts that you should be doing better, achieving more
- 1:16Speaker 2: in life, or working overtime to be exceptional, and it's
- 1:24Speaker 2: weighing you down. The burden is just too heavy to carry.
- 1:32Speaker 2: Imagine now taking all of those negative thoughts and placing
- 1:40Speaker 2: them in an iron safe, and then closing the door
- 1:47Speaker 2: and spinning the combination lock. The safe is then tipped
- 1:52Speaker 2: over into the depths of the ocean, never to be
- 1:57Speaker 2: heard from or seen again. It sinks to the very
- 2:03Speaker 2: bottom of the ocean, locked and sealed forever. As you
- 2:10Speaker 2: drift off to sleep, close your eyes, get comfortable. If
- 2:17Speaker 2: you fall asleep before the end of the meditation, it's okay.
- 2:23Speaker 2: The meditation will shut off when it's over. Have you
- 2:28Speaker 2: had enough enough trying to measure up, enough striving for
- 2:34Speaker 2: peace and contentment, enough trying to move up in the world,
- 2:41Speaker 2: and enough of trying to keep up with the joneses?
- 2:47Speaker 2: Push away those thoughts that each day is a marathon
- 2:52Speaker 2: to outdo your best efforts from the day before, just
- 2:58Speaker 2: so God will be pleased with you. Allow Jesus to
- 3:04Speaker 2: carry that burden. Father. I'm exhausted. I'm tired of trying
- 3:13Speaker 2: to earn your approval. I've had enough of chasing aspirations
- 3:20Speaker 2: that do not satisfy. I'm ready to say enough is enough.
- 3:29Speaker 3: Lord.
- 3:29Speaker 2: I pray for peace in my spirit that will wash
- 3:34Speaker 2: away my feelings of inadequacy, my feelings that I just
- 3:40Speaker 2: haven't done enough for you so that you will be
- 3:44Speaker 2: pleased with me. I feel guilt that I haven't prayed enough,
- 3:51Speaker 2: read the Bible enough, had enough love in my heart
- 3:56Speaker 2: as disciplined as I should be, worked enough, and a
- 4:02Speaker 2: bad attitude let me release that nagging question of how
- 4:09Speaker 2: good do I have to be? How good is good enough?
- 4:16Speaker 2: Father God, I release this baggage now, resting in your
- 4:21Speaker 2: sweet comfort that you are enough, that you don't operate
- 4:28Speaker 2: on a quota system, that you don't grate on the curve.
- 4:35Speaker 2: Protect me as I sleep, Bring me a new day
- 4:39Speaker 2: tomorrow where I feel a lighter load in my step,
- 4:46Speaker 2: walking in the assurance that you are all I need.
- 4:50Speaker 2: In Jesus' Holy name, Amen, breathing deeply, know that God,
- 5:00Speaker 2: God is enough to satisfy every need, no matter your circumstance.
- 5:07Speaker 2: Listen to Romans eight thirty eight through thirty nine, For
- 5:12Speaker 2: I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels,
- 5:16Speaker 2: nor rulers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers,
- 5:24Speaker 2: nor height, nor death, nor anything else in all creation
- 5:30Speaker 2: will be able to separate us from the love of
- 5:33Speaker 2: God in Christ, Jesus our Lord. As you get comfortable
- 5:41Speaker 2: settling in for a good sleep, imagine that you are
- 5:46Speaker 2: one of those Christians in Rome. The city is crowded.
- 5:52Speaker 2: It's one of the largest Mediterranean.
- 5:54Speaker 3: Cities of the ancient world.
- 5:57Speaker 2: A wealthy city. There are several economic classes, including slaves,
- 6:05Speaker 2: free individuals, official Roman citizens and nobles of different kinds.
- 6:13Speaker 2: You are reading Paul's letter for the first time. You
- 6:20Speaker 2: are a Roman laborer looking to get out of bondage,
- 6:25Speaker 2: wondering if your work was ever going to be enouch
- 6:30Speaker 2: hiding in your dingy quarters late at night, eyes squinting
- 6:36Speaker 2: as the thin glow of a tiny candle barely illuminates
- 6:40Speaker 2: the papyrus paper, Fingers work to the bone, hands filthy,
- 6:49Speaker 2: so tired you can barely hold the paper. Your heart
- 6:54Speaker 2: delights when you read the very first sentence, A servant
- 7:01Speaker 2: of Christ Jesus called to be an apostle and set
- 7:06Speaker 2: apart for the Gospel of God to all in Rome
- 7:11Speaker 2: who are loved by God and called to be His
- 7:15Speaker 2: Holy people. Grace and peace to you from God, our Father,
- 7:21Speaker 2: and from the Lord Jesus Christ. You can't believe your eyes. Servant,
- 7:30Speaker 2: I want to be a servant like Paul, you think
- 7:33Speaker 2: to yourself, Given your status in life, you don't have
- 7:39Speaker 2: access to what is going on. You've not heard about
- 7:43Speaker 2: Paul or Jesus, for that matter. During the time of
- 7:49Speaker 2: this letter, Paul was in the Greek city of Corinth.
- 7:54Speaker 2: While there he wrote the longest letter in the New
- 7:57Speaker 2: Testament the Book of Romans. The apostle Paul is writing
- 8:03Speaker 2: Christians at Rome. He's not been there before, but hopes
- 8:08Speaker 2: to preach in Rome someday. You've dreamed of going on
- 8:13Speaker 2: a new destination too, Breaking free from the chains that
- 8:17Speaker 2: bind you. A calm comes over you, blowing out the candle.
- 8:24Speaker 2: You crawl into bed, clinching onto Paul's letter. What is
- 8:30Speaker 2: surely a word from the Lord, Paul reminds the people
- 8:35Speaker 2: of Rome, and as you seek a RESTful sleep, he
- 8:39Speaker 2: reminds you too that nothing can separate you from the
- 8:43Speaker 2: love of God that is expressed in Christ.
- 8:46Speaker 3: Jesus Yeshah, the Messiah.
- 8:51Speaker 2: Death can't separate you. Angels or demons can't separate you
- 8:55Speaker 2: from His love. And Paul should know. Oh, Paul the
- 9:01Speaker 2: Apostle had once been Saul the Pharisee, a pharisee zealous
- 9:07Speaker 2: for God and yet completely against Jesus and those who
- 9:12Speaker 2: followed him. After a spectacular encounter with Jesus on the
- 9:17Speaker 2: way to Namascus, the one who sought to kill christ
- 9:22Speaker 2: followers became a leader of the church, the one who
- 9:27Speaker 2: spread the Gospel of Jesus Christ all over the known world.
- 9:33Speaker 2: As you fall into a deeper sleep. Imagine now you
- 9:38Speaker 2: meet Jesus on that same road to Damascus.
- 9:42Speaker 3: He sees your.
- 9:43Speaker 2: Pain, your tired eyes, your anxiety and unrest, as you
- 9:51Speaker 2: fall to his feet in total brokenness and surrender. He
- 9:56Speaker 2: notices the bruises around your wrists from the chains of
- 9:59Speaker 2: your earthly master, your tired hands. Kneeling with you on
- 10:06Speaker 2: that dirt road to Damascus. He prays peace over you
- 10:10Speaker 2: as he wraps his arms around you. Your body becomes
- 10:14Speaker 2: limp as it melts into the comfort of Jesus. Embrace
- 10:21Speaker 2: feeling in complete ease. Take a deep breath. Jesus gently
- 10:28Speaker 2: gets you back on your feet. The soothing voice of
- 10:32Speaker 2: Jesus speaks wisdom and shares a parable while the two
- 10:37Speaker 2: of you continue a long, delightful walk to Damascus. My
- 10:44Speaker 2: dear child, know that I am enough. When you are
- 10:49Speaker 2: lonely and tired, follow me, and your eternal reward will
- 10:55Speaker 2: be in heaven, eternity with no chains, no stress, and
- 11:01Speaker 2: no pain, only the delight of your heavenly Father. Along
- 11:07Speaker 2: the way, the scales fall from your eyes and you
- 11:12Speaker 2: see for yourself that indeed Jesus is enough. The apostle
- 11:20Speaker 2: Paul writes from experience, he was a mess, and he
- 11:25Speaker 2: wants you to know that nothing you can imagine can
- 11:30Speaker 2: possibly separate you from the powerful and deep love of God.
- 11:36Speaker 2: So he writes in Romans eight thirty eight through thirty nine,
- 11:41Speaker 2: for I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels,
- 11:45Speaker 2: nor rulers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers,
- 11:52Speaker 2: nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation
- 11:57Speaker 2: will be able to separate us from the life love
- 12:00Speaker 2: of God in Christ, Jesus, our Lord. As you sleep,
- 12:07Speaker 2: know that Christ is enough. It's not about rules doing enough.
- 12:13Speaker 2: It's about Jesus. He's enough. Are you done trying to
- 12:20Speaker 2: do better? God whispers to you, Trust me, Trust me.
- 12:29Speaker 2: Continue sleeping, going into deeper relaxation, rest in God's loving arms,
- 12:37Speaker 2: knowing that God hears the sound of knees falling to
- 12:41Speaker 2: the ground and his children crying out to him. Nothing
- 12:47Speaker 2: will ever take his love from you. He will never
- 12:51Speaker 2: stop loving you. Thank you for this, dear child of yours,
- 12:59Speaker 2: the victory of this battle that has already been one.
- 13:02Speaker 2: At the cross, Lord, reveal your truth during this time
- 13:07Speaker 2: of rest, for I am sure that neither death, nor life,
- 13:14Speaker 2: nor angels, nor rulers nor things present, nor things to come,
- 13:19Speaker 2: nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor anything else in
- 13:23Speaker 2: all creation will be able to separate us from the
- 13:27Speaker 2: love of God in Christ. Jesus, our Lord, Heavenly Father,
- 13:34Speaker 2: thank you for the truth of your word. Jesus, Thank
- 13:39Speaker 2: you for dying on the cross so this child of
- 13:42Speaker 2: yours might have eternal life. This beloved is dressed in
- 13:49Speaker 2: your righteousness. Breathe deeply, resting in the presence of the Savior,
- 13:58Speaker 2: letting all thoughts fail away in Jesus' preciousness. Take a
- 14:11Speaker 2: deep breath inhaling the sweetness of God, exhaling the worries
- 14:20Speaker 2: and stress of your day. Snuggle in and allow God's
- 14:27Speaker 2: word to take you to a land of dreams as
- 14:34Speaker 2: you prepare for sleep. Maybe you feel you can't do
- 14:40Speaker 2: enough to earn God's pleasure, or thoughts that you should
- 14:45Speaker 2: be doing better, achieving more in life, or working over
- 14:51Speaker 2: time to be exceptional, and it's weighing you down. The
- 14:59Speaker 2: burden is it's just too heavy to carry. Imagine now
- 15:06Speaker 2: taking all of those negative thoughts and placing them in
- 15:12Speaker 2: an iron safe, and then closing the door and spinning
- 15:19Speaker 2: the combination lock. The safe is then tipped over into
- 15:26Speaker 2: the depths of the ocean, never to be heard from
- 15:31Speaker 2: or seen again. It sinks to the very bottom of
- 15:35Speaker 2: the ocean, locked and sealed forever. As you drift off
- 15:43Speaker 2: to sleep, close your eyes, get comfortable. If you fall
- 15:50Speaker 2: asleep before the end of the meditation, it's okay. The
- 15:55Speaker 2: meditation will shut off when it's over. You. If you
- 16:00Speaker 2: had enough enough trying to measure up, enough striving for
- 16:06Speaker 2: peace and contentment, enough trying to move up in the world,
- 16:13Speaker 2: and enough of trying to keep up with the joneses,
- 16:19Speaker 2: push away those thoughts that each day is a marathon
- 16:24Speaker 2: to outdo your best efforts from the day before, just
- 16:30Speaker 2: so God will be pleased with you. Allow Jesus to
- 16:36Speaker 2: carry that burden. Father. I'm exhausted. I'm tired of trying
- 16:45Speaker 2: to earn your approval. I've had enough of chasing aspirations
- 16:52Speaker 2: that do not satisfy. I'm ready to say enough is enough.
- 17:01Speaker 3: Lord.
- 17:01Speaker 2: I pray for peace in my spirit that will wash
- 17:06Speaker 2: away my feelings of inadequacy, my feelings that I just
- 17:12Speaker 2: haven't done enough for you so that you will be
- 17:16Speaker 2: pleased with me. I feel guilt that I haven't prayed enough.
- 17:23Speaker 2: Read the Bible, enough, had enough love in my heart,
- 17:29Speaker 2: as disciplined as I should be, worked enough, and a
- 17:34Speaker 2: bad attitude. Let me release that nagging question of how
- 17:41Speaker 2: good do I have to be? How good is good enough? Father, God,
- 17:49Speaker 2: I release this baggage now, resting in your sweet comfort
- 17:55Speaker 2: that you are enough, that you don't operate rate on
- 18:00Speaker 2: a quota system, that you don't grate on the curve.
- 18:07Speaker 2: Protect me as I sleep, Bring me a new day
- 18:11Speaker 2: tomorrow where I feel a lighter load in my step,
- 18:18Speaker 2: walking in the assurance that you are all I need.
- 18:23Speaker 2: In Jesus' holy name, Amen, breathing deeply, know that God
- 18:32Speaker 2: is enough to satisfy every need, no matter your circumstances.
- 18:39Speaker 2: Listen to Romans eight thirty eight through thirty nine, For
- 18:44Speaker 2: I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels,
- 18:48Speaker 2: nor rulers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers,
- 18:56Speaker 2: nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation
- 19:02Speaker 2: will be able to separate us from the love of God.
- 19:06Speaker 3: In Christ, Jesus our Lord.
- 19:10Speaker 2: As you get comfortable settling in for a good sleep,
- 19:16Speaker 2: imagine that you are one of those Christians in Rome.
- 19:21Speaker 2: The city is crowded. It's one of the largest Mediterranean
- 19:26Speaker 2: cities of the ancient world. A wealthy city, there are
- 19:33Speaker 2: several economic classes, including slaves, free individuals, official Roman citizens,
- 19:41Speaker 2: and nobles of different kinds. You are reading Paul's letter
- 19:48Speaker 2: for the first time. You are a Roman laborer, looking
- 19:55Speaker 2: to get out of bondage, wondering if your work was
- 19:59Speaker 2: ever going to be enough. Hiding in your dingy quarters
- 20:04Speaker 2: late at night, eyes squinting as the thin glow of
- 20:09Speaker 2: a tiny candle barely illuminates the papyrus paper, Fingers work
- 20:17Speaker 2: to the bone, hands filthy, so tired you can barely
- 20:22Speaker 2: hold the paper. Your heart delights when you read the
- 20:29Speaker 2: very first sentence, Paul, a servant of Christ Jesus called
- 20:36Speaker 2: to be an apostle and set apart for the Gospel
- 20:40Speaker 2: of God to all in Rome who are loved by
- 20:44Speaker 2: God and called to be His Holy people. Grace and
- 20:50Speaker 2: peace to you from God, our Father and from the
- 20:54Speaker 2: Lord Jesus Christ. You can't believe your eyes. Servant. I
- 21:02Speaker 2: want to be a servant like Paul, you think to yourself,
- 21:08Speaker 2: given your status in lives, you don't have access to
- 21:12Speaker 2: what is going on. You've not heard about Paul, or
- 21:17Speaker 2: Jesus for that matter. During the time of this letter,
- 21:22Speaker 2: Paul was in the Greek city of Corinth. While there
- 21:26Speaker 2: he wrote the longest letter in the New Testament, the
- 21:30Speaker 2: Book of Romans. The Apostle Paul is writing Christians at Rome.
- 21:38Speaker 2: He's not been there before, but hopes to preach in
- 21:41Speaker 2: Rome some day. You've dreamed of going on a new
- 21:45Speaker 2: destination too, Breaking free from the chains that bind you,
- 21:51Speaker 2: A calm comes over you, blowing out the candle. You
- 21:56Speaker 2: crawl into bed, clinching onto Paul's letter. What is surely
- 22:03Speaker 2: a word from the Lord, Paul reminds the people of Rome,
- 22:09Speaker 2: and as you seek a RESTful sleep, he reminds you
- 22:12Speaker 2: too that nothing can separate you from the love of
- 22:16Speaker 2: God that is expressed in Christ. Jesus, Yeshiah, the Messiah.
- 22:23Speaker 2: Death can't separate you. Angels or demons can't separate you
- 22:27Speaker 2: from His love. And Paul should know. Paul the Apostle
- 22:34Speaker 2: had once been Saul the Pharisee, a pharisee zealous for
- 22:39Speaker 2: God and yet completely against Jesus and those who followed him.
- 22:47Speaker 2: After a spectacular encounter with Jesus on the way to Namascus,
- 22:52Speaker 2: the one who sought to kill christ followers became a
- 22:56Speaker 2: leader of the church, the one who spread the gospel
- 23:00Speaker 2: full of Jesus Christ all over the known world. As
- 23:05Speaker 2: you fall into a deeper sleep, imagine now you meet
- 23:10Speaker 2: Jesus on that same road to Damascus. He sees your pain,
- 23:17Speaker 2: your tired eyes, your anxiety and unrest as you fall
- 23:23Speaker 2: to his feet in total brokenness and surrender. He notices
- 23:28Speaker 2: the bruises around your wrists from the chains of your
- 23:32Speaker 2: earthly master, your tired hands. Kneeling with you on that
- 23:38Speaker 2: dirt road to Damascus. He prays peace over you as
- 23:42Speaker 2: he wraps his arms around you. Your body becomes limp
- 23:47Speaker 2: as it melts into the comfort of Jesus' embrace, feeling
- 23:53Speaker 2: in complete ease. Take a deep breaths gently gets you
- 24:01Speaker 2: back on your feet. The soothing voice of Jesus speaks
- 24:06Speaker 2: wisdom and shares a parable while the two of you
- 24:10Speaker 2: continue a long, delightful walk to Damascus. My dear child,
- 24:18Speaker 2: know that I am enough. When you are lonely and tire,
- 24:24Speaker 2: follow me, and your eternal reward will be in heaven.
- 24:29Speaker 2: Eternity with no chains, no stress, and no pain, only
- 24:35Speaker 2: the delight of your heavenly Father. Along the way, the
- 24:40Speaker 2: scales fall from your eyes, and you see for yourself
- 24:45Speaker 2: that indeed Jesus is enough. The apostle Paul writes from experience,
- 24:55Speaker 2: he was a mess, and he wants you to know
- 24:59Speaker 2: that nothing you can imagine can possibly separate you from
- 25:04Speaker 2: the powerful and deep love of God. So he writes
- 25:09Speaker 2: in Romans eight thirty eight through thirty nine, for I
- 25:13Speaker 2: am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels, nor rulers,
- 25:19Speaker 2: nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor
- 25:24Speaker 2: height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation will
- 25:29Speaker 2: be able to separate us from the love of God
- 25:32Speaker 2: in Christ.
- 25:33Speaker 3: Jesus, our Lord.
- 25:37Speaker 2: As you sleep, know that Christ is enough. It's not
- 25:42Speaker 2: about rules doing enough. It's about Jesus. He's enough. Are
- 25:51Speaker 2: you done trying to do better? God whispers to you,
- 25:56Speaker 2: Trust me, Trust me. Continue sleeping, going into deeper relaxation,
- 26:06Speaker 2: Rest in God's loving arms, knowing that God hears the
- 26:11Speaker 2: sound of knees falling to the ground and his children
- 26:16Speaker 2: crying out to him. Nothing will ever take his love
- 26:21Speaker 2: from you. He will never stop loving you. Thank you
- 26:28Speaker 2: for this, dear child of yours, the victory of this
- 26:32Speaker 2: battle that has already been one. At the cross, Lord,
- 26:36Speaker 2: reveal your truth during this time of rest, for I
- 26:43Speaker 2: am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels, nor rulers,
- 26:48Speaker 2: nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor
- 26:52Speaker 2: height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation will
- 26:57Speaker 2: be able to separate us from the life love of
- 27:00Speaker 2: God in Christ. Jesus, our Lord, Heavenly Father, thank you
- 27:07Speaker 2: for the truth of your word. Jesus, Thank you for
- 27:11Speaker 2: dying on the cross, so this child of yours I
- 27:16Speaker 2: have eternal life. This beloved is dressed in your righteousness.
- 27:25Speaker 2: Breathe deeply, resting in the presence of the Savior, letting
- 27:31Speaker 2: all thoughts fade away in Jesus' precious Nay, take a
- 27:40Speaker 2: deep breath inhaling the sweetness of God, exhaling the worries
- 27:50Speaker 2: and stress of your day. Snuggle in and allow God's
- 27:56Speaker 2: word to take you to a land of dream as
- 28:03Speaker 2: you prepare for sleep. Maybe you feel you can't do
- 28:09Speaker 2: enough to earn God's pleasure, or thoughts that you should
- 28:14Speaker 2: be doing better, achieving more in life, or working over
- 28:21Speaker 2: time to be exceptional, and it's weighing you down. The
- 28:28Speaker 2: burden is just too heavy to carry. Imagine now taking
- 28:36Speaker 2: all of those negative thoughts and placing them in an
- 28:42Speaker 2: iron safe, and then closing the door and spinning the
- 28:49Speaker 2: combination lock. The safe is then tipped over into the
- 28:56Speaker 2: depths of the ocean, never to be heard from or
- 29:00Speaker 2: seen again. It sinks to the very bottom of the ocean,
- 29:07Speaker 2: locked and sealed forever. As you drift off to sleep,
- 29:14Speaker 2: close your eyes, get comfortable. If you fall asleep before
- 29:20Speaker 2: the end of the meditation, it's okay. The meditation will
- 29:25Speaker 2: shut off when it's over. Have you had enough enough
- 29:31Speaker 2: trying to measure up, enough striving for peace and contentment,
- 29:39Speaker 2: enough trying to move up in the world, and enough
- 29:43Speaker 2: of trying to keep up with the joneses? Push away
- 29:49Speaker 2: those thoughts that each day is a marathon to outdo
- 29:54Speaker 2: your best efforts from the day before, just so God
- 30:00Speaker 2: will be pleased with you. Allow Jesus to carry that burden. Father.
- 30:10Speaker 2: I'm exhausted. I'm tired of trying to earn your approval.
- 30:18Speaker 2: I've had enough of chasing aspirations that do not satisfy.
- 30:25Speaker 2: I'm ready to say enough is enough. Lord. I pray
- 30:32Speaker 2: for peace in my spirit that will wash away my
- 30:36Speaker 2: feelings of inadequacy, my feelings that I just haven't done
- 30:42Speaker 2: enough for you, so that you will be pleased with me.
- 30:49Speaker 2: I feel guilt that I haven't prayed enough, read the
- 30:53Speaker 2: Bible enough, had enough love in my heart, as disciplined
- 30:59Speaker 2: as I should be, worked enough, and a bad attitude.
- 31:06Speaker 2: Let me release that nagging question of how good do
- 31:11Speaker 2: I have to be? How good is good enough? Father God,
- 31:18Speaker 2: I release this baggage now, resting in your sweet comfort
- 31:25Speaker 2: that you are enough, that you don't operate on a
- 31:30Speaker 2: quota system, that you don't grate on the curve. Protect
- 31:37Speaker 2: me as I sleep, Bring me a new day tomorrow
- 31:43Speaker 2: where I feel a lighter load in my step, walking
- 31:47Speaker 2: in the assurance that you are all I need. In
- 31:52Speaker 2: Jesus's Holy name, Amen, breathing deeply, Know that God is
- 32:02Speaker 2: enough to satisfy every need, no matter your circumstance. Listen
- 32:09Speaker 2: to Romans eight thirty eight through thirty nine. For I
- 32:13Speaker 2: am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels, nor rulers,
- 32:20Speaker 2: nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor
- 32:26Speaker 2: height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation will
- 32:31Speaker 2: be able to separate us from the love of God.
- 32:36Speaker 3: In Christ, Jesus, our Lord.
- 32:40Speaker 2: As you get comfortable settling in for a good sleep,
- 32:46Speaker 2: imagine that you are one of those Christians in Rome.
- 32:51Speaker 2: The city is crowded. It's one of the largest Mediterranean
- 32:56Speaker 2: cities of the ancient world. A wealthy city. There are
- 33:02Speaker 2: several economic classes, including slaves, free individuals, official Roman citizens,
- 33:11Speaker 2: and nobles of different kinds. You are reading Paul's letter
- 33:17Speaker 2: for the first time. You are a Roman laborer, looking
- 33:24Speaker 2: to get out of bondage, wondering if your work was
- 33:28Speaker 2: ever going to be eno, Hiding in your dingy quarters
- 33:34Speaker 2: late at night, eyes squinting as the thin glow of
- 33:39Speaker 2: a tiny candle barely illuminates the papyrus paper, Fingers work
- 33:46Speaker 2: to the bone, hands filthy, so tired you can barely
- 33:52Speaker 2: hold the paper. Your heart delights when you read the
- 33:58Speaker 2: very first sentence, Paul, a servant of Christ Jesus called
- 34:06Speaker 2: to be an apostle and set apart for the Gospel
- 34:09Speaker 2: of God. To all in Rome who are loved by
- 34:14Speaker 2: God and called to be His Holy people. Grace and
- 34:19Speaker 2: peace to you from God, our Father, and from the
- 34:23Speaker 2: Lord Jesus Christ. You can't believe your eyes. Servant. I
- 34:32Speaker 2: want to be a servant like Paul, You think to yourself,
- 34:37Speaker 2: given your status in life, you don't have access to
- 34:42Speaker 2: what is going on you've not heard about Paul, or Jesus,
- 34:47Speaker 2: for that matter. During the time of this letter, Paul
- 34:52Speaker 2: was in the Greek city of Corinth. While there he
- 34:56Speaker 2: wrote the longest letter in the New Testament, the Book
- 35:00Speaker 2: of Romans. The Apostle Paul is writing Christians at Rome.
- 35:07Speaker 2: He's not been there before, but hopes to preach in
- 35:10Speaker 2: Rome some day. You've dreamed of going on a new
- 35:14Speaker 2: destination too, Breaking free from the chains that bind you,
- 35:20Speaker 2: A calm comes over you, blowing out the candle. You
- 35:26Speaker 2: crawl into bed, clinching on to Paul's letter. What is
- 35:31Speaker 2: surely a word from the Lord. Paul reminds the people
- 35:37Speaker 2: of Rome, and as you seek a RESTful sleep, he
- 35:40Speaker 2: reminds you too that nothing can separate you from the
- 35:45Speaker 2: love of God that is expressed in Christ. Jesus, Yeshah,
- 35:50Speaker 2: the Messiah. Death can't separate you. Angels or demons can't
- 35:56Speaker 2: separate you from His love. And Paul should know. Paul
- 36:03Speaker 2: the Apostle had once been Saul the Pharisee, a Pharisee
- 36:08Speaker 2: zealous for God and yet completely against Jesus and those
- 36:13Speaker 2: who followed him. After a spectacular encounter with Jesus on
- 36:19Speaker 2: the way to Namascus. The one who sought to kill
- 36:23Speaker 2: Christ followers became a leader of the church, the one
- 36:28Speaker 2: who spread the gospel of Jesus Christ all over the
- 36:31Speaker 2: known world. As you fall into a deeper sleep, imagine
- 36:38Speaker 2: now you meet Jesus on that same road to Namascus.
- 36:44Speaker 2: He sees your pain, your tired eyes, your anxiety and unrest,
- 36:52Speaker 2: as you fall to his feet in total brokenness and surrender.
- 36:57Speaker 2: He notices the bruises around your wrists from the chains
- 37:01Speaker 2: of your earthly master, your tired hands. Kneeling with you
- 37:07Speaker 2: on that dirt road to Damascus. He prays peace over
- 37:11Speaker 2: you as he wraps his arms around you. Your body
- 37:15Speaker 2: becomes limp as it melts into the comfort of Jesus' embrace,
- 37:22Speaker 2: feeling in complete ease, take a deep breath. Jesus gently
- 37:30Speaker 2: gets you back on your feet. The soothing voice of
- 37:34Speaker 2: Jesus speaks wisdom and shares a parable while the two
- 37:39Speaker 2: of you continue a long, delightful walk to Damascus. My
- 37:46Speaker 2: dear child, know that I am enough. When you are
- 37:50Speaker 2: lonely and tired, follow me, and your eternal reward will
- 37:56Speaker 2: be in heaven, eternity with no chains, no stress, and
- 38:02Speaker 2: no pain, only the delight of your heavenly Father. Along
- 38:09Speaker 2: the way, the scales fall from your eyes, and you
- 38:13Speaker 2: see for yourself that indeed Jesus is enough. The apostle
- 38:22Speaker 2: Paul writes from experience, He was a mess, and he
- 38:27Speaker 2: wants you to know that nothing you can imagine can
- 38:31Speaker 2: possibly separate you from the powerful and deep love of God.
- 38:38Speaker 2: So he writes in Romans eight thirty eight through thirty nine,
- 38:42Speaker 2: for I am sure that neither death, nor light, nor angels,
- 38:47Speaker 2: nor rulers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers,
- 38:53Speaker 2: nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation
- 38:58Speaker 2: will be able to separate us from the love of
- 39:01Speaker 2: God in Christ, Jesus, our Lord. As you sleep, know
- 39:09Speaker 2: that Christ is enough. It's not about rules doing enough.
- 39:15Speaker 2: It's about Jesus. He's enough. Are you done trying to
- 39:21Speaker 2: do better? God whispers to you, Trust me, Trust me.
- 39:30Speaker 2: Continue sleeping, going into deeper relaxation, Rest in God's loving arms,
- 39:39Speaker 2: knowing that God hears the sound of nees falling to
- 39:43Speaker 2: the ground and his children crying out to him. Nothing
- 39:49Speaker 2: will ever take his love from you. He will never
- 39:53Speaker 2: stop loving you. Thank you for this, dear child of yours.
- 40:00Speaker 2: The victory of this battle that has already been one
- 40:03Speaker 2: of the cross. Lord, reveal your truth during this time
- 40:09Speaker 2: of rest, for I am sure that neither death nor life,
- 40:15Speaker 2: nor angels, nor rulers, nor things present, nor things to come,
- 40:20Speaker 2: nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in
- 40:24Speaker 2: all creation will be able to separate us from the
- 40:29Speaker 2: love of God in Christ. Jesus, our Lord, Heavenly Father,
- 40:35Speaker 2: thank you for the truth of your word. Jesus, Thank
- 40:40Speaker 2: you for dying on the cross so this child of
- 40:44Speaker 2: yours might have eternal life. This beloved is dressed in
- 40:50Speaker 2: your righteousness. Breathe deeply, resting in the presence of the Savior,
- 41:00Speaker 2: letting all thoughts fade away. In Jesus, preciously, take a
- 41:14Speaker 2: deep breath inhaling the sweetness of God, exhaling the worries
- 41:23Speaker 2: and stress of your day. Snuggle in and allow God's
- 41:30Speaker 2: word to take you to a land of dreams as
- 41:37Speaker 2: you prepare for sleep. Maybe you feel you can't do
- 41:43Speaker 2: enough to earn God's pleasure, or thoughts that you should
- 41:48Speaker 2: be doing better, achieving more in life, or working over
- 41:54Speaker 2: time to be exceptional, and it's weighing you down. The
- 42:02Speaker 2: burden is just too heavy to carry imagine now taking
- 42:10Speaker 2: all of those negative thoughts and placing them in an
- 42:16Speaker 2: iron safe, and then closing the door and spinning the
- 42:23Speaker 2: combination lock. The safe is then tipped over into the
- 42:30Speaker 2: depths of the ocean, never to be heard from or
- 42:34Speaker 2: seen again. It sinks to the very bottom of the ocean,
- 42:40Speaker 2: locked and sealed forever. As you drift off to sleep,
- 42:47Speaker 2: close your eyes, get comfortable. If you fall asleep before
- 42:54Speaker 2: the end of the meditation, it's okay. The meditation will
- 42:59Speaker 2: shut off when it's over. Have you had enough enough
- 43:05Speaker 2: trying to measure up, enough striving for peace and contentment,
- 43:13Speaker 2: enough trying to move up in the world, and enough
- 43:17Speaker 2: of trying to keep up with the joneses? Push away
- 43:23Speaker 2: those thoughts that each day is a marathon to outdo
- 43:28Speaker 2: your best efforts from the day before, just so God
- 43:34Speaker 2: will be pleased with you. Allow Jesus to carry that burden. Father.
- 43:44Speaker 2: I'm exhausted. I'm tired of trying to earn your approval.
- 43:51Speaker 2: I've had enough of chasing aspirations that do not satisfy.
- 43:59Speaker 2: I'm ready to say enough is enough.
- 44:04Speaker 3: Lord.
- 44:05Speaker 2: I pray for peace in my spirit that will wash
- 44:09Speaker 2: away my feelings of inadequacy, my feelings that I just
- 44:15Speaker 2: haven't done enough for you so that you will be
- 44:19Speaker 2: pleased with me. I feel guilt that I haven't prayed enough,
- 44:26Speaker 2: read the Bible enough, had enough love in my heart,
- 44:32Speaker 2: as disciplined as I should be, worked enough, and a
- 44:37Speaker 2: bad attitude. Let me release that nagging question of how
- 44:44Speaker 2: good do I have to be? How good is good enough?
- 44:51Speaker 2: Father God, I release this baggage now, resting in your
- 44:57Speaker 2: sweet comfort that you are enough, that you don't operate
- 45:03Speaker 2: on a quota system, that you don't grate on the curve.
- 45:10Speaker 2: Protect me as I sleep, Bring me a new day
- 45:14Speaker 2: tomorrow where I feel a lighter load in my step,
- 45:21Speaker 2: walking in the assurance that you are all I need.
- 45:26Speaker 2: In Jesus's Holy name, Amen, breathing deeply, Know that God
- 45:35Speaker 2: is enough to satisfy every need, no matter your circumstance.
- 45:42Speaker 2: Listen to Romans eight thirty eight through thirty nine. For
- 45:47Speaker 2: I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels,
- 45:51Speaker 2: nor rulers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers,
- 45:59Speaker 2: nor height, nor death, nor anything else in all creation
- 46:05Speaker 2: will be able to separate us from the love of
- 46:08Speaker 2: God in Christ, Jesus our Lord, as you get comfortable,
- 46:16Speaker 2: settling in for a good sleep. Imagine that you are
- 46:21Speaker 2: one of those Christians in Rome. The city is crowded.
- 46:27Speaker 2: It's one of the largest Mediterranean cities of the ancient world,
- 46:33Speaker 2: a wealthy city. There are several economic classes, including slaves,
- 46:40Speaker 2: free individuals, official Roman citizens, and nobles of different kinds.
- 46:48Speaker 2: You are reading Paul's letter for the first time. You
- 46:55Speaker 2: are a Roman laborer, looking to get out of bondage,
- 47:00Speaker 2: wondering if your work was ever going to be enough.
- 47:06Speaker 2: Hiding in your dingy quarters late at night, eyes squinting
- 47:11Speaker 2: as the thin glow of a tiny candle barely illuminates
- 47:16Speaker 2: the papyrus paper, Fingers work to the bone, hands filthy,
- 47:24Speaker 2: so tired you can barely hold the paper. Your heart
- 47:29Speaker 2: delights when you read the very first sentence, Paul, a
- 47:36Speaker 2: servant of Christ Jesus called to be an apostle and
- 47:41Speaker 2: set apart for the Gospel of God to all in
- 47:46Speaker 2: Rome who are loved by God and called to be
- 47:50Speaker 2: His Holy people. Grace and peace to you from God,
- 47:55Speaker 2: our Father, and from the Lord Jesus Christ. You can't
- 48:01Speaker 2: believe your eyes. Servant. I want to be a servant
- 48:07Speaker 2: like Paul. You think to yourself. Given your status in life,
- 48:14Speaker 2: you don't have access to what is going on. You've
- 48:18Speaker 2: not heard about Paul or Jesus, for that matter. During
- 48:24Speaker 2: the time of this letter, Paul was in the Greek
- 48:27Speaker 2: city of Corinth. While there he wrote the longest letter
- 48:32Speaker 2: in the New Testament, the Book of Romans. The Apostle
- 48:36Speaker 2: Paul is writing Christians at Rome. He's not been there before,
- 48:42Speaker 2: but hopes to preach in Rome someday. You've dreamed of
- 48:47Speaker 2: going on a new destination too. Breaking free from the
- 48:51Speaker 2: chains that bind you, A calm comes over you, blowing
- 48:58Speaker 2: out the candle, awl into bed, clinching onto Paul's letter.
- 49:05Speaker 2: What is surely a word from the Lord, Paul reminds
- 49:10Speaker 2: the people of Rome, and as you seek a RESTful sleep,
- 49:14Speaker 2: he reminds you too that nothing can separate you from
- 49:18Speaker 2: the love of God that is expressed in Christ, Jesus, Yeshiah,
- 49:24Speaker 2: the Messiah. Death can't separate you. Angels or demons can't
- 49:30Speaker 2: separate you from His love. And Paul should know. Paul
- 49:36Speaker 2: the Apostle had once been Saul the Pharisee, a pharisee
- 49:41Speaker 2: zealous for God and yet completely against Jesus and those
- 49:46Speaker 2: who followed him. After a spectacular encounter with Jesus on
- 49:52Speaker 2: the way to Namascus, the one who sought to kill
- 49:56Speaker 2: Christ's followers became a leader of the church, the one
- 50:01Speaker 2: who spread the gospel of Jesus Christ all over the
- 50:05Speaker 2: known world. As you fall into a deeper sleep, imagine
- 50:11Speaker 2: now you meet Jesus on that same road to Damascus.
- 50:17Speaker 3: He sees your pain, your.
- 50:20Speaker 2: Tired eyes, your anxiety and unrest, as you fall to
- 50:27Speaker 2: his feet in total brokenness and surrender. He notices the
- 50:32Speaker 2: bruises around your wrists from the chains of your earthly master,
- 50:37Speaker 2: your tired hands. Kneeling with you on that dirt road
- 50:42Speaker 2: to Damascus. He prays peace over you as he wraps
- 50:46Speaker 2: his arms around you. Your body becomes limp as it
- 50:51Speaker 2: melts into the comfort of Jesus. Embrace feeling in complete ease.
- 50:59Speaker 2: Take a deep breath. Jesus gently gets you back on
- 51:04Speaker 2: your feet. The soothing voice of Jesus speaks wisdom and
- 51:10Speaker 2: shares a parable while the two of you continue a long,
- 51:15Speaker 2: delightful walk to Damascus. My dear child, know that I
- 51:22Speaker 2: am enough. When you are lonely and tired, follow me
- 51:28Speaker 2: and your eternal reward will be in heaven eternity, with
- 51:33Speaker 2: no chains, no stress, and no pain, only the delight
- 51:39Speaker 2: of your heavenly Father. Along the way, the scales fall
- 51:45Speaker 2: from your eyes, and you see for yourself that indeed
- 51:50Speaker 2: Jesus is enough. The apostle Paul writes from experience, he
- 51:59Speaker 2: was a mess, and he wants you to know that
- 52:02Speaker 2: nothing you can imagine can possibly separate you from the
- 52:08Speaker 2: powerful and deep love of God. So he writes in
- 52:12Speaker 2: Romans eight thirty eight through thirty nine, for I am
- 52:17Speaker 2: sure that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor rulers,
- 52:22Speaker 2: nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor
- 52:27Speaker 2: height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation will
- 52:32Speaker 2: be able to separate us from the love of God
- 52:35Speaker 2: in Christ, Jesus, our Lord. As you sleep, know that
- 52:42Speaker 2: Christ is enough. It's not about rules doing enough. It's
- 52:49Speaker 2: about Jesus. He's enough. Are you done trying to do better?
- 52:56Speaker 2: God whispers to you, Trust me, Trust me. Continue sleeping,
- 53:06Speaker 2: going into deeper relaxation, Rest in God's loving arms, Knowing
- 53:13Speaker 2: that God hears the sound of knees falling to the
- 53:16Speaker 2: ground and his children crying out to him. Nothing will
- 53:23Speaker 2: ever take his love from you, he will never stop
- 53:27Speaker 2: loving you. Thank you for this, dear child of yours,
- 53:34Speaker 2: the victory of this battle that has already been won
- 53:37Speaker 2: at the cross. Lord, reveal your truth during this time
- 53:42Speaker 2: of rest, for I am sure that neither death nor life,
- 53:49Speaker 2: nor angels, nor rulers, nor things present, nor things to come,
- 53:54Speaker 2: nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in
- 53:58Speaker 2: all creation will be able to separate us from the
- 54:03Speaker 2: love of God in Christ. Jesus, our Lord, Heavenly Father,
- 54:09Speaker 2: thank you for the truth of your word. Jesus, Thank
- 54:14Speaker 2: you for dying on the cross so this child of
- 54:17Speaker 2: yours might have eternal life. This beloved is dressed in
- 54:24Speaker 2: your righteousness. Breathe deeply, resting in the presence of the Savior,
- 54:33Speaker 2: letting all thoughts fade away in Jesus preciousness. Welcome to
- 54:42Speaker 2: this subide, prayer and meditation. God is more than enough.
- 54:48Speaker 2: This bedtime story will guide you into a relaxing night
- 54:52Speaker 2: of sleep. Before we begin, make sure all the distractions
- 54:58Speaker 2: around you are removed so you can get a good
- 55:02Speaker 2: night's rest. Take a deep breath inhaling the sweetness of God,
- 55:15Speaker 2: exhaling the worries and stress of your day. Snuggle in
- 55:22Speaker 2: and allow God's word to take you to a land
- 55:26Speaker 2: of dreams. As you prepare for sleep, maybe you feel
- 55:35Speaker 2: you can't do enough to earn God's pleasure, or thoughts
- 55:40Speaker 2: that you should be doing better, achieving more in life,
- 55:47Speaker 2: or working over time to be exceptional, and it's weighing
- 55:53Speaker 2: you down. The burden is just too heavy to carry.
- 56:01Speaker 2: Imagine now taking all of those negative thoughts and placing
- 56:08Speaker 2: them in an iron safe and then closing the door
- 56:15Speaker 2: and spinning the combination locked. The safe is then tipped
- 56:21Speaker 2: over into the depths of the ocean, never to be
- 56:26Speaker 2: heard from or seen again. It sinks to the very
- 56:31Speaker 2: bottom of the ocean, locked and sealed forever. As you
- 56:39Speaker 2: drift off to sleep, close your eyes, get comfortable. If
- 56:46Speaker 2: you fall asleep before the end of the meditation, it's okay.
- 56:51Speaker 2: The meditation will shut off when it's over. Have you
- 56:56Speaker 2: had enough enough trying to measure up, enough striving for
- 57:03Speaker 2: peace and contentment, enough trying to move up in the world,
- 57:10Speaker 2: and enough of trying to keep up with the joneses?
- 57:16Speaker 2: Push away those thoughts that each day is a marathon
- 57:21Speaker 2: to outdo your best efforts from the day before, just
- 57:26Speaker 2: so God will be pleased with you. Allow Jesus to
- 57:33Speaker 2: carry that burden. Father. I'm exhausted. I'm tired of trying
- 57:42Speaker 2: to earn your approval. I've had enough of chasing aspirations
- 57:48Speaker 2: that do not satisfy. I'm ready to say enough is enough. Lord,
- 57:58Speaker 2: I pray for peace in my spirit. It's not about
- 58:03Speaker 2: rules doing enough. It's about Jesus. He's enough. Are you
- 58:11Speaker 2: done trying to do better? God whispers to you, Trust me,
- 58:17Speaker 2: Trust me. Continue sleeping, going into deeper relaxation, rest in
- 58:27Speaker 2: God's loving arms, knowing that God hears the sound of
- 58:31Speaker 2: mees falling to the ground and his children crying out
- 58:37Speaker 2: to him. Nothing will ever take his love from you.
- 58:42Speaker 2: He will never stop loving you. Thank you for this,
- 58:49Speaker 2: dear child of yours, the victory of this battle that
- 58:52Speaker 2: has already been one of the cross. Lord, reveal your
- 58:57Speaker 2: truth during this time of rest, for I am sure
- 59:03Speaker 2: that neither death nor life, nor angels, nor rulers, nor
- 59:08Speaker 2: things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height,
- 59:12Speaker 2: nor death, nor anything else in all creation will be
- 59:17Speaker 2: able to separate us from the love of God in Christ. Jesus,
- 59:22Speaker 2: our Lord, Heavenly Father, thank you for the truth of
- 59:27Speaker 2: your word. Jesus, thank you for dying on the cross
- 59:33Speaker 2: so this child of yours might have eternal life. This
- 59:38Speaker 2: beloved is dressed in your righteousness. Breathe deeply, resting in
- 59:47Speaker 2: the presence of the Savior, letting all thoughts fade away,
- 59:54Speaker 2: and Jesus precious name.
- 1:00:00Speaker 1: We hope this meditation brought you peace. To listen to
- 1:00:03Speaker 1: the full collection of Biblical bedtime stories, download the Abide
- 1:00:07Speaker 1: app in the iTunes or Google Play store.