When Jesus Sleeps: Finding Spiritual Peace Amid the Storms of Life

What to do when God doesn’t answer! When Jesus Sleeps shows you how to trust God even when He seems unresponsive and remote — even when, as in the famous incident in the Gospels, He seems to sleep while you are buffeted by the storms of life.

Author Luis Martinez quotes that beautiful line from the Song of Songs — “I sleep, but my heart is awake” — and confirms that with Jesus this is indeed the case: His love for you never sleeps, no matter what.

Martinez shows how you can make better sense of your life once you realize that God has actually been closest to you when He seemed farthest away; and once you learn why He often speaks to you only in silence. Best of all, Martinez teaches you the secret of true happiness, which you can achieve even amid the troubles that are inescapable elements of every human life. With sober realism and simple faith, this book will show you how to discover — and then to take refuge in — the comfort our Lord offers you, even when He seems to sleep. Learn to get through the times when God seems distant, as you discover why silence is essential for all real growth in the spiritual life; why Jesus must seem to sleep in order to refine your love and purify your soul; Jesus’ thirty “hidden years”: the important lessons they hold for your life today; why worry? Two common reasons why people do worry — and remedies for each; a simple, effective, and gentle procedure for becoming holy in your daily life; prudence: why it’s one of the most difficult — and most important — virtues that you must acquire while Jesus sleeps; the three paths to spiritual peace: are you taking them? Do you know what they are?; two times that Jesus grieved — and what He meant to teach you in each; three surprising things that promote your spiritual welfare — if you know how to use them; how the presence of Jesus in your life can transform your experience of suffering; the medicine of the spiritual life: why it must often be bitter; and much more that will help you endure the storms of your life with confidence that even as Jesus sleeps, He cares for you!

Luis M. Martinez (1881-1956) was Archbishop of Mexico City, philosopher, theologian, educator, poet, and director of souls. His deeply spiritual interior life is manifested eloquently in his writings, particularly in his classic work True Devotion to the Holy Spirit.