I woke in the night to one of those hard cries from the boys’ bedroom that’s sure to leave you with the snubs, you know-when you have trouble catching your breath after a good cry. Our oldest was a sound sleeper like his momma even as a toddler, but when I went in to comfort him on that night, he refused to open his eyes. His sobs were uncontrollable but no matter how I coaxed, regardless of how many lights I turned on, he just squeezed his eyes shut tighter! I woke his daddy, who carried him into the bathroom and used a cool rag to wipe his tears. After more coaxing to look in the mirror and see for himself that everything was fine, his cries turned to a whimper as he finally opened his eyes. We assumed it was a bad dream, so I sat with him, rubbing his little back until he was sound asleep again.
Dreams can seem so real! I’ve fought through an entire night, only to wake exhausted, eyes puffy as if I’d actually cried the entire night. Last night, just after falling asleep, I heard what I was sure was the shrill alert from a smoke detector when the batteries are dying. My startled heart was pounding, yet when I looked over to see if my husband had heard it too, he was still sleeping soundly. The dogs never barked and after listening for a few minutes, it never recurred. The sound was so alarming real -but not. How many of the emotions I battle daily are grounded in reality? How many might be imagined? And how do I discern the difference?
When the Israelites came into Jerusalem to worship at the appointed times, they recited Psalms along their route that recounted their history as God’s chosen people. These reminders of the care and protection of God, the goodness of God, His timely provision and salvation were meant to lead them into deeper awareness of the object of their worship.
“When the Lord brought back his exiles to Jerusalem, it was like a dream! We were filled with laughter, and we sang for joy. And the other nations said, “What amazing things the Lord has done for them.” Yes, the Lord has done amazing things for us! What joy!”
Psalms 126:1-3 NLT
https://www.bible.com/116/psa.126.1-3.nlt
“How kind the Lord is! How good he is! So merciful, this God of ours! The Lord protects those of childlike faith; I was facing death, and he saved me. Let my soul be at rest again, for the Lord has been good to me. He has saved me from death, my eyes from tears, my feet from stumbling. And so I walk in the Lord’s presence as I live here on earth!”
Psalms 116:5-9 NLT
https://www.bible.com/116/psa.116.5-9.nlt
Like Ebenezer Scrooge in Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol says to the ghastly spirit who visits him in his dream, “You may be an undigested bit of beef, a blot of mustard, a crumb of cheese, a fragment of an underdone potato. There’s more of gravy than of grave about you, whatever you are!” I may not have any control over the visions that come to me in the night, but there is a lifetime’s worth of reminders in God’s Word to calm me, to remind me of His care and protection, His goodness, and His timely provision and salvation! When I’m tempted to close my eyes tight and give in to the darkness, His Spirit is there to comfort me and give me rest.
“For God, who said, “Let there be light in the darkness,” has made this light shine in our hearts so we could know the glory of God that is seen in the face of Jesus Christ. We now have this light shining in our hearts, but we ourselves are like fragile clay jars containing this great treasure. This makes it clear that our great power is from God, not from ourselves.
So we don’t look at the troubles we can see now; rather, we fix our gaze on things that cannot be seen. For the things we see now will soon be gone, but the things we cannot see will last forever.”
2 Corinthians 4:6-7, 18 NLT
A Fitting Reply 