Night Terrors

Back when my first child and I were both much younger, she woke up suddenly in the middle of the night, terrified and screaming.

Alarmed, my wife and I hurried to her room to see what was the matter.

I picked her up and held her, but she remained stiff as a board. I spoke comforting words to her like, “It’s OK. You’re all right. Daddy’s right here,” but to no effect. Turning the lights on, I saw a faraway look in our daughter’s eyes. Her expression was trance-like. She didn’t respond to her name. She didn’t seem to recognize our presence. We wanted to comfort her, but we just couldn’t reach her.

I’ve been equally unresponsive to my own Father when I’ve suffered spiritual night terrors.

There have been times when, in the grip of fear, I have been completely unaware of His presence. In a terror-trance, I’ve been unable to hear Him speak my name. I’ve been unable to receive His reassuring words.

You might be thinking, “Dave, why do you talk so much about fear?”

First, I consider myself an authority on the subject. As they say, “Write what you know.”

Second, and most importantly, Jesus tells us over and over again not to be afraid. He tells us this, not because bad things won’t happen to us, but because He will never leave us or forsake us. His abiding presence is the Big Reality He wants us always to remember.

And that’s precisely what the enemy wants us to forget.

God is teaching me to stay out of the trance by remaining attentive to His presence, and alert to the enemy’s fear tactics.

How about you?

(I would like to end this post on a lighter note. While I was drawing the above picture, my son, Stephen, suggested my word bubble should say, “Where’s the ‘OFF’ switch?”)