The light that never goes out.

Psalm 91:5

"You will not fear the terror of night, nor the arrow that flies by day"

A couple of days ago, I had this really bad dream of someone I know hurting one member of my family. I woke up literally shaking and all soaked up in sweat.

I don't know if it's coincidence or not but earlier that same day, I was listening to one of the sermons of Pastor Mark Driscoll that I downloaded. The sermon was about Christ crushing our enemies, particularly Satan and demons. All throughout the sermon, Pastor Mark enumerates how Satan works his way into our lives. He can work in us through pride or self-esteem, physical abuse, or accusations. That very night, I recalled all of what I've heard and learned in the sermon and prayed before I sleep.

And to my surprise, there I was experiencing, in a way, Satan crawling in me through my dreams. I was so scared. I was tired. It felt real and I can't do a thing. The moment I woke up, I washed up my face with cold water and got back to bed again. There, before I lay and return to sleep, I prayed. I prayed to the Lord Jesus to guard me, my family, my friends and loved ones from those whom might hurt us. I prayed to Him to protect us from Satan and his works. Afterwards, I fell asleep again. This time, I was safe and sound.

Looking back on what happened, I look at Psalm 91:5 for encouragement. Here, the psalmist tells that "we will fear not the terror of the night". If we have God in our life, and sincerely believe that He is sovereign and has total control, why should we fear anything or anyone in particular? Indeed, nightmares can be realistically scary, but we should not forget that God is with us so we should not fear anything (Isaiah 41:10). God is always there as our light when everything seems dark (2 Samuel 22:29).

But I think, what's more important is that as Christians, we should look to God as the only source of light that casts away the darkness in our lives. By believing in Him, we can have the courage to face even the darkest of nights. In a way, when we sleep, we may be putting out the lamps in our room which causes total darkness, but note that God is our light that never goes out, so we can be rest assured to sleep peacefully.

Reflect on this: In what way does God help you sleep peacefully at night? How does God help you to have courage and not fear?

Prayer: Father God, thank you for being our light. Not literally, but by being the light in our lives. In you, our darkness is cast away. Lord, thank you for the encouraging words in Psalm 91:5! Thank you for the strength and courage that is found only in you.

Lord Jesus, be our guiding light, always. Be our light before we sleep, during, and after. Light our path as you light up the world. Through you, the world which was and is still enveloped in darkness, can find the only source of light. May we seek you in everything and every way possible so we could know what living in the light means. All praise be to you. Amen!