A Bump In The Night

I’m suddenly wide awake. I thought I heard a sound coming from the front door. I’m a bit groggy. I lay still and listen intently. A few minutes go by and I hear nothing else. I think of the big stick I have under the edge of my bed. It’s a handy way to pound intruders into submission; all in the name of Jesus of course.

I look at the clock; it’s two in the morning. I remember two of my kids are driving home late tonight from college in Southern Cal. Maybe my sudden awakening is some kind of premonition. Maybe they have broken down and are stranded on the side of the freeway. Worse yet, maybe there has been an accident. I sit up and send them a text message asking how their trip is going and where they are at. I lie back down and cover up.

Ten minutes goes by, no reply to my text. That’s not like them. They usually reply right away if they can. Maybe one is sleeping and the other is being good about not texting while driving. A few more minutes go by. Now my mind is turning to darker thoughts. What if they are unable to reply to my text? Maybe they are off the side of the road, or hurting, and unable to get to their phone. I feel a sense of fear coming into my thoughts and heart. My mind pictures them hurt and in the hospital. Maybe the phone is going to ring any minute with the news no father wants to hear. What would life be like after losing a precious child? In the course of just a minute or two I have almost worked myself into a state of panic.

I snap myself out of it, telling myself to get a grip and relax. My phone finally vibrates and my son says all is well and they will be home in twenty minutes. Sure enough they come walking in the door and drop their bags, say hello and head off to bed. All is fine and it’s been fine all evening. No intruder, no accident, no hospital, no…

Fear is a powerful emotion. Especially fear of the unknown or fear of what could go wrong. Fear can not only make your blood pressure rise and your heart rate increase, but it can actually consume your life. In those few minutes fear could have made me panic. I could have woken Ruth up and shared my fear, or called the CHP to see if any accidents had occurred. I could have called the kids and yelled at them for not responding quickly enough to my text message. Don’t they know what anxiety their delay caused in me?

I see so many people driven by fear today. Not everyone, but it seems like there is a lot more fear floating around than usual. Fear over security issues, fear over economic issues, fear over political issues are just a few I hear about. Certainly there is always the possibility of disaster. We do live in a fallen world filled with fallen people who sometimes do crazy things.

But for us believers, followers of Jesus Christ, fear is not an option. Did you know that the phrase ‘fear not’ is used in the Bible 143 times (NASB). Obviously if God tells us something almost 12 dozen times He means it. Fear is not to be a part of the Christian’s emotional makeup. There are legitimate times to be frightened, but a life that fears the unknown or the possible is not what God intends.

The opposite of fear is courage. Courage comes from prayer and spending time with God. God told Joshua to follow Him and His word and let fear have no place in his life as the new leader of Israel. God would tell us the same today. Live a life of courage instead a life of fear. This can happen as we develop the better skills of prayer and Bible reading. God can replace fear with peace. It is clearly His desire to do so. But we have to let Him conquer those tumultuous emotions of fear and anxiety.

I need to get back to sleep. Those darn kids have kept me up late again. Next time I hear a bump in the night and my mind races toward fear I will try and stop myself right away and pray for God’s peace. Let’s all try this. The next time you’re up in the middle of the night worrying about things that could or might go wrong, try to stop and pray or read your Bible.

I love being your Pastor. See you on Sunday

Pastor Phil