Earlier this week, I was wrestling with a bottom line for an upcoming sermon.
The passage in question was tricky.
The opportunity to go in multiple directions was both alluring and bewildering.
The temptation to “borrow” the insights of another preacher was real.
The late Tuesday night attempts at wordsmithing resulted in nothing but frustration.
So I decided to sleep 0n it. Nudged by the Spirit? Maybe. Probably. It’s happened before: something I could not figure out in the late hours of a Tuesday night becomes quite clear on Wednesday morning.
I suspect that some of the ideas parked in the recesses of my brain as I “slept on it.” I woke up with several possibilities, including one that SOUNDED GOOD saying it out loud, but upon further review wasn’t faithful to the text.
And then, while brushing my teeth, it came. A concise summary, a pointed point that people could remember, live, believe, and celebrate. And, even more importantly, in harmony with what that tricky passage was saying.
I was able to clarify in the morning that which caused confusion in the evening.
I believe when I deliver that message later in February, the conclusion will have been worth the process. That’s my prayer.
And that’s the value of sleeping on it.