Gabby Callwood - 3am

Reflection

There is a particular loneliness to 3am, when the world is asleep and the mind will not stop turning over worry, regret or grief. The Psalms were often written from exactly this kind of place, in the dark, unable to sleep, crying out to a God who seemed distant. 'On my bed I remember you; I think of you through the watches of the night,' says Psalm 63:6, turning insomnia into an occasion for prayer rather than only anxiety. Songs set in the small hours give voice to a very real and common experience, one that can feel embarrassingly small in daylight but genuinely overwhelming at night. They also offer comfort in numbers, reminding restless listeners that they are far from the first to lie awake wrestling with fear or sorrow. Faith does not promise instant sleep or an end to hard nights, but it does offer companionship in them, a God who neither slumbers nor sleeps and who hears prayers whispered at any hour.

Questions to sit with

• What tends to keep you awake or anxious at night?
• How might turning worry into prayer change a sleepless night?
• Who could you reach out to the next time 3am feels too heavy to carry alone?