Sometimes I wonder if heaven will feel a bit like an afternoon nap,” writes Brett McCracken in The Wisdom of Sleep.

Maybe it’s because naps are signpost of something far greater that we’ve not yet fully experienced. Maybe it’s because even the most relaxing vacation, replenishing Sabbath, and restorative night’s sleep are only teasers for the perfect rest we’re wired to desire. Maybe there’s more to sleep and rest than we think. Maybe in his mysterious sovereignty, God designed these things to be a sacred portal of sorts, a connective tissue between heaven and earth, between death and resurrection, between the God of rest and the restless souls who can’t help but be magnetically tugged toward him.

In this episode of the Influence Podcast, I talk to McCracken about these “maybes,” what sleep reveals about God and us. I’m George P. Wood, executive editor of Influence magazine and your host.

Brett McCracken is a senior editor at The Gospel Coalition, where he writes on the intersection of faith and culture. He is also author of The Wisdom of Sleep: How Rest Reveals God’s Truth and Revives Weary Souls, published by Zondervan Reflective.

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Show Notes

• 00:00 — Introduction and Sponsor Ad
• 02:08 — How does sleep speak gospel truth?
• 04:01 — What does sleep reveal about our limitations?
• 06:01 — What do you think of secular and religious attempts to transcend our limitations?
• 09:05 — What do science and the Bible say about the generative powers of sleep?
• 12:26 — What does the Bible say about supernatural dreams?
• 15:15 — The need for discernment in interpreting dreams
• 16:16 — How do we become a restful presence for others?
• 19:02 — What does rest reveal about God as an “intentional designer”?
• 21:54 — What do you mean when you write, “God creates a distinct people through rest”?
• 26:56 — How does sleep reveal God as “gracious and loving,” and also as “sovereign and merciful”?
• 31:59 — What are you reading right now that is interesting, helpful, and/or personally challenging?
• 33:55 — Conclusion