13 Bible Verses About Sleeping in Peace

Psalm 3:5

“I lie down and sleep; I wake again, because the Lord sustains me.”

Reflection: The heading sets Psalm 3 during David’s flight from his son Absalom, the rebellion told in 2 Samuel 15. The psalm opens with foes saying “God will not deliver him,” and the verse after this one reads, “I will not fear though tens of thousands assail me on every side.” The sleep comes before any rescue is recorded: verse 7 still asks, “Arise, Lord! Deliver me, my God!”

Psalm 4:8

“In peace I will lie down and sleep, for you alone, Lord, make me dwell in safety.”

Reflection: Psalm 4 turns between God and people who “turn my glory into shame” and “seek false gods.” To them David says, “when you are on your beds, search your hearts and be silent” (verse 4). The psalm ends with this line addressed to the Lord, and the reason for the peaceful sleep is in the line itself: the Lord alone makes him dwell in safety.

Psalm 63:6

“On my bed I remember you; I think of you through the watches of the night.”

Reflection: The heading places Psalm 63 in the Desert of Judah, where David thirsts for God “in a dry and parched land.” Here the night is spent awake: on his bed he remembers God through the watches of the night. Verse 7 continues, “Because you are my help, I sing in the shadow of your wings.”

Psalm 121:3-4

“He will not let your foot slip—he who watches over you will not slumber; indeed, he who watches over Israel will neither slumber nor sleep.”

Reflection: Psalm 121 is headed “A song of ascents.” It asks where help comes from and answers, “from the Lord, the Maker of heaven and earth.” These two verses say the one who watches over Israel never sleeps, and the psalm goes on to name both halves of the day: “the sun will not harm you by day, nor the moon by night.”

Psalm 91:5

“You will not fear the terror of night, nor the arrow that flies by day.”

Reflection: Psalm 91 opens with the one who “dwells in the shelter of the Most High” and will “rest in the shadow of the Almighty.” The terror of night stands in a list with the arrow by day, the pestilence that stalks in the darkness and the plague that destroys at midday. The verse before it gives the ground of the promise: “under his wings you will find refuge.”

Psalm 127:2

“In vain you rise early and stay up late, toiling for food to eat—for he grants sleep to those he loves.”

Reflection: Psalm 127 is headed “Of Solomon” and opens with builders and guards who labor in vain unless the Lord builds the house and watches over the city. This verse applies the same point to long working days. Rising early and staying up late to earn food is called vain, because the Lord “grants sleep to those he loves.”

Leviticus 26:6

“I will grant peace in the land, and you will lie down and no one will make you afraid. I will remove wild beasts from the land, and the sword will not pass through your country.”

Reflection: The promise depends on the condition in verse 3: “If you follow my decrees and are careful to obey my commands.” Rain and harvest come first, then peace in the land, where Israel will lie down with no wild beasts and no sword to fear. Verse 17 gives the reverse for a people who break the covenant: “you will flee even when no one is pursuing you.”

Proverbs 3:24

“When you lie down, you will not be afraid; when you lie down, your sleep will be sweet.”

Reflection: The teacher addresses “my son” and tells him not to let wisdom and understanding out of his sight and to “preserve sound judgment and discretion” (verse 21). Safe walking by day and sweet sleep by night follow from keeping that wisdom. Verse 26 names what stands behind both: “the Lord will be at your side and will keep your foot from being snared.”

Job 11:18-19

“You will be secure, because there is hope; you will look about you and take your rest in safety. You will lie down, with no one to make you afraid.”

Reflection: These words belong to Zophar the Naamathite, one of Job’s friends, and they come with conditions: Job must “put away the sin that is in your hand” (verse 14) before he can rest in safety. Zophar’s conditions assume that Job has sin to put away. In Job 42:7 the Lord tells Eliphaz, “I am angry with you and your two friends, because you have not spoken the truth about me, as my servant Job has.”

Ecclesiastes 5:12

“The sleep of a laborer is sweet, whether they eat little or much, but as for the rich, their abundance permits them no sleep.”

Reflection: The Teacher sets this saying among observations about wealth: “Whoever loves money never has enough” (verse 10), and as goods increase, “so do those who consume them” (verse 11). The laborer sleeps well whether he eats little or much, while the rich man’s abundance keeps him awake.

Jeremiah 31:25-26

“I will refresh the weary and satisfy the faint… At this I awoke and looked around. My sleep had been pleasant to me.”

Reflection: The promise to “refresh the weary and satisfy the faint” closes an oracle about bringing Judah back from captivity, when its towns will again say, “The Lord bless you, you prosperous city.” Verse 26 is Jeremiah’s own line: he awoke, looked around, and his sleep had been pleasant to him.

Mark 4:38-39

“Jesus was in the stern, sleeping on a cushion. The disciples woke him and said to him, ‘Teacher, don’t you care if we drown?’ He got up, rebuked the wind and said to the waves, ‘Quiet! Be still!’ Then the wind died down and it was completely calm.”

Reflection: Jesus had said, “Let us go over to the other side,” and was asleep in the stern while a squall nearly swamped the boat. Once the wind has died down he asks the disciples, “Why are you so afraid? Do you still have no faith?” Matthew 8:24 and Luke 8:23 also record that he was asleep.

Acts 12:6

“The night before Herod was to bring him to trial, Peter was sleeping between two soldiers, bound with two chains, and sentries stood guard at the entrance.”

Reflection: King Herod had already put James the brother of John to death with the sword, and he meant to bring Peter to public trial after the Passover. On the night before the trial Peter slept chained between two soldiers, while “the church was earnestly praying to God for him” (verse 5). The angel had to strike him on the side to wake him, and Peter thought he was seeing a vision until he stood in the street outside.