Nightmares and the Presence of God

I'd hear the scream first, then the sound of her feet racing toward my bedroom. Almost every night for a week my 3-year-old daughter had awakened screaming from a nightmare. 

She'd race across the hall to our bedroom and fling herself upon me with eyes wide with terror and heart beating out of her chest. It was a trying time.

To keep the disturbance to a minimum, I'd gather her up in my arms and carry her back to her bedroom. We'd check under the bed and inside the closet to be sure they were monster-free, then I'd lie down beside her and soothe her back to sleep. 

We memorized Psalm 56:3, "When I am afraid, I will trust in you," and I'd hear her whispering it to herself as she drifted off.

I was careful to lie with some distance between us so I could leave without disturbing her, but occasionally I would feel her hand creep across the space that separated us in the dark. She would touch me lightly, then pull her hand back with a relieved sigh. Although she knew I was lying beside her, sometimes she needed an extra touch to remind herself I was there.

Prayer is like that for me.

When life is dark and frightening, and monsters seem to lurk everywhere, sometimes I need extra reassurance that God has not abandoned me. And though I can't reach my hand out and touch him in the dark, I can reach out to him in prayer and hear his Spirit say, "I will never leave you nor forsake you" (Hebrews 13:5). It is sweet comfort to know he is there beside me to keep the darkness at bay and to bid the monsters flee.

When I am afraid, I will trust in you.

 
Is there an area in your life where darkness threatens and monsters seem to lurk? I encourage you to join me in reaching out to touch God through prayer. Invite his presence to chase your fears away.




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