I don't know why my friends keep shaking their heads when they try to teach me computer things. I must be a special challenge for them. Recently, someone saw me turning off my computer without going through all the steps you're supposed to. I didn't know - until they told me that day. I suppose my friend was shaking his head, as he watched me. He showed me how to bring up on my screen an option called "shutdown." When you activate the shutdown mode, the computer displays a special shutdown screen that stays on while the internal shutdown work is going on. Then, suddenly, your computer is off. When I asked my technically normal friend what shutdown mode was, he gave me a simple answer - knowing my techno-dork limitations. He said, "Your computer is cleaning out a lot of junk that's accumulated in there - any unfinished business from whatever commands it's been given since the last shutdown." Sounds good to me. Now I never end what I'm doing without going through shutdown mode. Neither should you.
Well, I'm Ron Hutchcraft and I want to have A Word With You today about "Shutdown Mode."
Our word for today from the Word of God comes from Psalm 4 - God's description of how you and I are supposed to shut down - before we turn off for the day. Verse 4 - "When you are on your beds, search your hearts and be silent." That reminds me of David's prayer, "Search me, O God, and know my heart." Before you go to sleep, search through your heart for any garbage that has accumulated - anger, unforgiveness, lust, coveting, comparing, gossip, negative attitudes, sinful treatment of people. Don't shut down until you've cleaned out the junk of the day - by bringing it to Jesus in repentance - right there on your bed.
But there's more in God's shutdown sequence. "Offer right sacrifices and trust in the Lord."
At the end of every day, there will always be bases you didn't get covered, and our minds are cluttered with the tyranny of the undone. No matter how much you do, no matter how good your heart and your intentions are, your efforts will always leave something unfinished - maybe even a mess.
"Offer right sacrifices" means you do all you can - you offer God your best efforts. Then where your best leaves off, you "trust in the Lord" to cover the rest. God's night-night mode for us is to clean out the failures of the day, the wounds of the day, the discouragements of the day, the worries, the hard feelings, the things we're dreading about tomorrow - and to one-by-one leave those totally with Him. He'll even be working on them while you're sleeping - if you will really make it His business, and really get it out of your hands.
Then you go to sleep saying, "Lord, I've done all I can today. The rest is up to You. I'm glad You'll be working while I'm sleeping."
And here's the blessed result. "I will lie down and sleep in peace; for You alone, O Lord, make me dwell in safety."
So clean out the junk before you shut down. And go to sleep with one thing and only one on your mind - Jesus.