The “Sleep in peace” story

“I will lie down and sleep in peace, for you alone, O Lord, make me dwell in safety.” Psalm 4:8 (BSB)

I would love an explanation from the person who coined the phrase “Slept like a baby”, because the babies that I raised sure didn’t seem to set the trend on sleeping all that well.

And any pajama-drill victim will tell you that there’s nothing you desire more for your baby than having them sleep like a normal human. I remember coming across Psalm 4:8 as a sleep-deprived robot and feeling like I wanted to drill the verse into my son: “You WILL lie down in peace and sleep! You WILL lie down in peace…” Perhaps if you said it often enough, like a punished child repeating a sentence on a chalkboard, it may sink in… But then you get to the part where it explains why we can sleep soundly and you think, well, it’s not like a baby could know that God will protect them. Babies don’t know anything… other than how to cry, drink and run through heaps of nappies… orrrr… do they?

Not to get your hopes up here – even with all my experience in the field, I have little to no advice to offer on sleep training. And actually, this story has less to do with your baby’s sleep patterns and more with another important habit – the act of blessing your child.

As a quick intro without going into too much detail, here are the very bare basics of it: We know that we’re created as a three-fold being, consisting of a body, soul and spirit. But often, the latter two are seen as one. The body gets nurtured from the start, followed by the nurturing of the soul, but because we’re unaware of its importance, there’s never really that kind of deposit made into the human spirit.

Sadly, that is the part of us that connects best with God. Our built-in means to be able to do so. It’s like our life-wire that connects us to His Spirit – no wonder the enemy made sure its purpose and potential would be kept in the dark.

Being tuned in to the spirit part of our being – or even simply grasping the concept – becomes harder as we mature. But for a baby everything is a blank page. A blank page that you have the privilege (and responsibility) to fill.

Research teaches us that we don’t even have to wait until we meet our babies face to face before introducing them to spirit blessings. We can start the moment we’re aware of their presence in the womb. The interesting thing is that the normal order in which we are nurtured and “fed” is body, then soul and following somewhere faintly in the distance, a few scraps may reach our spirit. Yet the baby in your womb’s strongest part is their spirit, followed only much later by the other two. The human spirit is said to be fully mature at the very moment of conception. It can “hear”, “feel” and is completely aware of its circumstances. Just a second before, it was created by the Maker and at this stage, it still remembers the presence of God. But since it’s never developed from this point forward, it slowly (or depending on harsh circumstances, probably quickly) loses that awareness.

You can learn everything you need to know about the body, soul and spirit connection and how to bless the human spirit from Arthur Burk of Plumbline Ministries/ Sapphire Leadership Group. This is a free, audio series, so you can listen to it while you don’t have your hands at your disposal ; ) https://theslg.com/content/developing-your-spirit.

And if you’re just keen on having the know-how to bless your baby, Mr. Burk was gracious enough to also make the following audio clips available. For boys (and men): https://theslg.com/content/blessing-your-spirit-beloved-son and girls (or women): https://theslg.com/content/blessing-your-spirit-precious-daughter.

These treasures are not exclusively aimed at babies – it’s simply a great time to start – so do go ahead and play them to your more grown children while they’re sleeping, or even as a bed-time blessing for yourself.

Part 2: Anointing your baby

The olive branches enfolding the verse on this babygrow were not simply chosen for decorative reasons but specifically for what, or rather Who it symbolises.

An olive branch is a universal symbol of peace, dating from the days of Noah when God announced it was safe for the Ark-dwellers to set foot on the ground again. The olive branch was God’s way of beckoning them back as the water levels receded. It announced the end of the flood. Like God’s white flag. And knowing how He just loves using symbolism and announces His plans before they are carried out, I think it’s safe to say that He wasn’t just waving any old white flag that happened to present itself that day – oh look, an olive branch – well, I guess you’ll do… Laugh with me here, OK, because God is never, ever that random. No, He was using this very specific Symbol to point to the reason why peace on earth was even on the table.

God knew then already that the generations following Noah would not measure up either. They would end up making the same mistakes. Which presented us with a bit a dilemma. Would a merciful God lure us back to the very place we’re inclined to play with fire? Hmmm… unlessss… there could be some sort of peace offering that would solve the whole drama…

Throughout the Bible we find a symbolic connection between both the Holy Spirit, as well as Jesus, and the olive tree or olive oil. Jesus is referred to as a “special shoot” from the line of David who carried the Spirit of the Lord. Jeremiah 23:5 and 33:15, as well as Zechariah 3:8 and 6:12 paint the picture of Jesus as a shoot or a branch bringing righteousness to the world. And Romans 11:11-24 teaches us that believers are grafted into the branch of Jesus so we can become part of the olive tree and share in that blessing. And then there’s the scene in the garden of Gethsemane – meaning “oil press” – where Jesus felt so hard pressed, fearing the fact that He would be broken and crushed for our sins – just like an olive is broken and crushed to release the oil that offers mankind healing, light and anointing.

With the olive branch, I believe God was saying: Sin will always cause division between you and me, but I’m waving the promise of Jesus, the symbolic olive branch as my white flag, my peace offering. Because of Jesus, there can be peace on earth. Because of Jesus, we can do this again. Jesus was the key to get God and man on the same side again.

So, if you’ve ever wondered why we use olive oil exclusively and explicitly as the main ingredient in anointing oil, you now know what, or Who it points to.

Anointing your baby is a physical act that transcends into the Spiritual. Like the blood that was smeared onto the Israelites’ doorposts in Egypt, it’s a symbol for all the hosts of the Spiritual world to see – evil must keep out because this is God’s property! This baby carries the mark of protection, blessing and freedom from persecution. Or this woman, or man, this object, this house… Anointing is a tool of blessing for your whole family as well as your home and workplace.

If you wanted to read more on the subject, I can recommend the following articles from The Jerusalem Gift Shop: https://www.thejerusalemgiftshop.com/israelnews/what-does-it-mean-to-be-anointed-with-oil/.

So here you have two very important ways to bless your baby or your family at large. Now, it may be that there are real physical or emotional reasons why your baby doesn’t sleep well so do follow the appropriate channels for that. For just the “normal” (and here I mean crazy, insane, intolerably cruel) sleep challenges, the only tip that I can spare, is that it passes. You will live beyond these nights. And it will be worth all the pain and tears. You just hold on for a little while longer and take it one day at a time.

But let’s pray for that nevertheless because it always is the best thing we can do in any situation. Following the prayer, I’ve included an extract from Arthur Burk’s blessings, aimed specifically at night-time blessing.

Father, thank you for the gift of this baby. Today I choose to ask Your blessing over him/ her and our family as a whole. Father, enter this home and mark it as Your property. Let Your banner of love and peace be over it. I speak Your blessing over this child – spirit, soul and body. And I also ask Your blessing over me to guide and lead me while I raise this baby. Father, strengthen me during the challenging times, especially while I lack sleep. Fill both me and my baby with Your Spirit. Let it be known in the Heavenlies that we belong to You, that we choose Your protection. Thank you for the peace offering that Jesus made and let that peace fill our home and everything in it to the extent that our cup runs over.  In Jesus’ name. Amen

“Precious daughter/son, I call your spirit to attention in the name of Jesus of Nazareth. I bless you with the joy of the Lord. Listen to God’s word for you. Psalm 16:7 says even at night my heart instructs me. I bless you precious daughter/son with fullness of joy in the night watches as the Spirit of God ministers to your spirit. The night time is the first fruits of God’s creation, therefore it is holy. I reject and break off you every claim of the enemy to the night watches. I proclaim that it is God’s holy time when He delights to visit you and to minister to you. I bless you with experiencing His presence in the night watches as your subconscious mind and your spirit are open to the Spirit of God so He can minister to your spirit while your conscious mind is not cluttering up the works. I bless you in the name of Jesus of Nazareth.”

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You’re welcome to chat to me on info@bread-crumbs.co.za about anything you’ve read here or something that’s nagging you about the topic.