But an “amen” doesn’t happen without the thanksgiving, and I think it’s the thanksgiving that ultimately gives us our “amen”. I think the thanksgiving is the “amen”. Sara Oyela quote for Begin Within: A Gratitude Series

I laid down in bed, exhausted. I had been up since four A.M. I could have slept through the night right then. But it was around seven P.M., not yet bedtime in my household. I opened up a book and began reading. By the middle of the fourth page, the tension in my neck gave out as my eyes closed. I shook myself awake and continued reading. When I dozed again, I gave up, laid back and took a 15 to 30 minute catnap.

Which usually gives me a burst of energy to carry on until actual bedtime. I get up and do the dishes, get some reading done, nag the kids to study, do their homework, and sometimes we have family prayer time to close out the day. When everyone in the house is finally settled down and quiet in bed, including me, my mind is not. She is a child alive and full of wonder who insists on asking every question she ought to have asked earlier in the day.

For me, the moment, (or great span of time, like between ten P.M. and five A.M., which may or may not be a bit of hyperbole), between lying down in bed at night and finally nodding off to sleep, is the greatest moment of worrying. (Can I get a witness? Does this happen to you, too?) But over the years, I’ve learned a strategy to get this under control: It involves prayer and gratitude.

I’m not an etymologist, so I can’t tell you if “amen” and “thank you” share the same roots. But I suspect that they’re rooted in the same spirit. Philippians 4:6 makes me suspect such a notion. It instructs us to not be worried or “anxious about anything, but . . . by prayer and petition, [and] with thanksgiving, present [our] requests to God” (NIV). Prayer, that is, presenting our requests to God, and thanksgiving, are tied together in this verse.

Thanksgiving Is The “Amen.”

And prayer is traditionally concluded with an “amen.” Verse seven of the same chapter assures us that when we pray, present our requests to God, and give thanks, “the peace of God”—which goes beyond our historical and scientific reasoning—”will guard [our] hearts and . . . minds in Christ Jesus” (NIV). Having the peace of God in our hearts and minds seems like an “amen” to me. An “amen” is a “so be it.” It’s a finality. It’s a letting go. It is peace.

An “amen” is a “so be it." It’s a finality. It’s a letting go. It is peace_Sara Oyela for Begin Within: A Gratitude Series

But an “amen” doesn’t happen without the thanksgiving, and it’s the thanksgiving that ultimately gives us our “amen”. The thanksgiving is the “amen”. But I think it is only the “amen” in the reality of Christ Jesus in our lives. The “amen,” the thanksgiving, the peace, will only be effective when it is rooted in the reality of God in Christ Jesus. The last clause of Philippians 4:7 is, “ . . . in Christ Jesus.”

3 Tips for Settling Your Mind at Bedtime

And so, when I am in bed at night (or even when I take a quiet moment with God in the mornings or mid-days), I do the following to help my mind settle down:

Because Philippians 4:7 reads “the peace of God will guard your hearts . . . in Christ Jesus,” the first step I take is grounding myself in the reality of God. I do this by thinking of how God has been real in my life, and clinging to this memory of his reality. Or, I just find some way to cling to God as the immovable pillar who is holding the universe up and together.

Next, I turn all my worries and thoughts into prayer points, and I “brain dump” to God, out loud, in whispers, silently, or in a notebook. I don’t use perfect language when I do this. I spew it all out without judgment, with all of my flowery and stormy language. I do this because I know God can handle my emotions and thoughts. If Christ was able and willing to handle the neediness of those crowds and the goofiness of Peter, as depicted in the Gospels, then He can and will handle all the stuff going on in my mind.

Next, I turn all my worries and thoughts into prayer points, and I “brain dump” to God, out loud, in whispers, silently, or in a notebook_Sara Oyela for Begin Within: A Gratitude Series

And then lastly, I spend time to thank God. I thank Him for things He’s done and ways He’s shown up for me in the past, for being with me, and listening to me in the moment, and for the possibilities of how He will help me with everything, because He is our heavenly father. He is the father as good as and infinitely better than the best father and mother on earth—who is our provider, protector, encourager, counselor, teacher, advisor, and endless more.

To be honest, sometimes, I don’t get to the thanksgiving part of my prayers. Especially when I’m super exhausted, I begin to doze off before I get through my brain dump. But most of the time, I can finally move on to sleeping, or whatever else I need to do, after I’ve thanked God. Thanking God is an acceptance of what was in the past, an acknowledgement of His present presence, and an expectation of Him handling the future. Thanking God is an “amen,” a finality, a peace.

Meet Sara Oyela

Sara Oyela writes poetry and other things too, including lesson plans for her high school language arts students, notes and emails to her four children’s teachers, and grocery lists for her husband. Other than hanging out with her people and writing, she enjoys reading, hiking forested and snaking trails, basking in the sun, running or walking on her neighborhood streets, building, and playing board and card games.

Where to find her . . .

Begin Within is a series to inspire a year-round lifestyle of gratitude that will impact not only your own life, but the lives of your neighbors as well. Gratitude is a theme we talk about often around here because it ties so closely into other missional living rhythms. Practicing gratitude reminds to keep our hearts soft and expectant and our eyes open. Therefore, the more we embrace gratitude, the easier it becomes to truly see our neighbors and where we can join what God is already doing in our neighborhoods.

If you would like to contribute to Begin Within, you can find the submission guidelines here.

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If you would like to cultivate rhythms in addition to gratitude that will empower you live on mission in your neighborhood, check out Cultivating a Missional Life: A 30-Day Devotional to Gently Help You Open Your Heart, Home, and Life to Your Neighbors. This small book will help you make a big impact in your neighborhood as you learn to let missional living flow from the inside out. Get the 30-day missional living challenge free when you purchase the book.