Day 5 of the Write 28 Days Blogging Challenge . Participants choose a category, in which to concentrate throughout the challenge and the host provides a daily writing prompt. The prompt for today is NIGHT.

2 Timothy 1:7 God did not give us a spirit that makes us afraid. He gave us a spirit of power and love and self-control. (International Children’s Bible) 

Both of my sons had sleep disorders when they were children. My oldest started with night terrors at about 18 months old, then started sleepwalking and talking at three. As a teen, he once found himself locked out of the house in the middle of the night, in the winter, in upper Michigan. It’s cold in Michigan. The frequency of these events decreased through high school and college, but there not gone yet.

My youngest son started having night terrors at around three years old. The frequency if these episodes increased to almost nightly, and repeatedly each night. We didn’t sleep through the night until he was nine. My boys are 19 years apart and I can tell you that the energy level of this 40-year-old mom was a lot different than it is was for the 20-year-old mom.

Night terrors are more than nightmares. WebMD describes them as “frequent and recurrent episodes of intense crying and fear during sleep, with difficulty in arousing the child.”  Add running into our room screaming and you would have the complete description of his sleep disorder, and ours. At one point we took him to a neurologist to find out what was wrong and, after checking everything out, found it was nothing but a sleep disorder that he would eventually grow out of. The doctor prescribed a book for us to read, with some pretty awful techniques to help modify the behavior, and assured us he would grow out of it, which he eventually did. Can you imagine how that would be as a young child trapped in a fearful state, unable to awaken out of it? Are you dealing with this at home?

We don’t know what caused it, just that we couldn’t help them. All we could do was wait for him to wake up and then it was like nothing happened. “Mommy, what are you doing here?” and then right back to sleep. Neither of my boys had any recollection of the event after waking. I was the one scared out of mind the first few times this happened because I didn’t know what was wrong. Just that I could not wake or comfort my child.

That is not the case with our Heavenly Father. He is always our comfort. Go to him with your fears and He will comfort you and give you peace. He does not want us to suffer in fear and tells us that fear is not from him. I’m not talking about the sense of fear that alerts us to danger, that’s a protection God provided for us. I’m talking about the fear that crops up in our thoughts. Fear of changing jobs, meeting new people, writing that book, ending a bad relationship, going back to school or anything else that has you ceased up.

These “I can’t” thoughts often creep in at night, when the day is done, and the house is quiet. The mind gets reeling and before you know it, it’s 3:AM. Maybe I was just used to being up all night, but I use to worry about a lot of things before eventually falling asleep. This was before I memorized specific bible verses to help me shed the worry and fear. Now as soon as my head hits the pillow, I thank the Lord for another day and confirm back to Him that I go to bed and sleep in peace because only He keeps me safe (Psalm 4:8).

Are you sleeping through the night yet?  Here are a few verses that can help.

Psalm 4:8  In peace I will both lie down and sleep, For You alone, O Lord, make me to dwell in safety.

Philippians 4:5-7 Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all comprehension, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

Philippians 4:8 Finally, brethren, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is of good repute, if there is any excellence and if anything worthy of praise, dwell on these things.

Deuteronomy 31:8 The Lord is the one who goes ahead of you; He will be with you. He will not fail you or forsake you. Do not fear or be dismayed.”

Psalm 118:6 The Lord is for me; I will not fear; What can man do to me?

Get into your bible and find one that speaks to you. God has a word for you today.

Prayer: Lord, helps me to rely on You in all situations. When my children are afraid, so often I become afraid. Help me to go to you for help and assurance. Your word can calm a storm (Matt 8:23-27), Lord, please calm mine today. Amen.

 

 

Night Terrors, WebMD Medical Reference-Reviewed by Renee A. Alli, MD on December 04, 2020

Picture from Upsplash