He will cover you with his feathers. He will shelter you
with his wings. His faithful promises are your armor and protection. Do not be
afraid of the terrors of the night, nor the arrow that flies in the day. Psalms
91:4-5
My sister Judy, suffers from night terrors. When she was a
young girl, she would get up in the middle of the night, still asleep, screaming
and running through the house. As her little sister, being a witness to this
was frightening, but for Judy it was horrifying.
Mom and Dad had difficulties trying to wake her from these
episodes. They tried several methods to no avail. Finally and thankfully, they
found a strategy that gave the response they wanted. If they said, “Judy, we
love you,” followed very gently by, “Go on back to bed,” Judy would calm down,
comply by going back to bed, and sleep peacefully the remainder of the night.
All other tactics failed, but for some reason the words, “I love you,” were the
words that alleviated all her fears.
I believe most people, at one time or another, experience
fear. We may not physically run with screams of terror, but our minds begin to
swell with trepidation to the point where our heart begins to race, our
breathing becomes fast and shallow, and we break out in a cold sweat. We
realize we are in an all-encompassing panic mode, and the worst part is that sometimes,
we don’t even know the cause.
1 John 4:18 says, “There is no fear in love. But perfect
love drive out fear.” Perfect love is
the love found in Jesus Christ. Our sins are forgiven by the blood He shed for
us. Many times in the scripture, Jesus spoke the words of peace. He wants us to have a calm, quiet spirit
through Him, and He wants us to tranquilly rest in the knowledge of His love
for us. His sacrifice paved the way for a perfect peace in His forgiveness and
life everlasting. If we listen to His voice, He says, “Peace be still my child.
I love you with an everlasting love.”
An episode of night terror for my sister, was brought to a
propitious conclusion, by the simple words, “I love you.” When we are in fear,
we need to pause, take a deep breath, and allow the Holy Spirit to speak His
words of peace over us. When we stop, listen, and trust His voice of passionate
affection, we can relax in His arms, breath in His Spirit, and become placid,
in the light of His love.
Dearest Lord,
Thank you for calming our fears in your perfect love.
Through Christ I pray,
Amen
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