No Fear by Night

No Fear by Night

Psalm 91:5 - "Thou shalt not be afraid for the terror by night; nor for the arrow that flieth by day."

Night and day, together, cover the whole clock. This verse is not selective about when fear tries to visit. There is a terror that comes at night, the kind that arrives when the house is quiet and the mind has nothing to distract it, the fear that replays a diagnosis, a bill, a phone call you are dreading. And there is the arrow that flies by day, the sudden, visible attack that comes while you are wide awake and going about your business.

The command is the same for both, thou shalt not be afraid. Not because nothing threatening exists, the terror and the arrow are both named plainly here, but because fear is not the appropriate response for someone who dwells under the shadow of the Almighty. Fear assumes you are unguarded. You are not.

Second Timothy 1:7 reminds us that God has not given us the spirit of fear, but of power, love and a sound mind. Fear may speak, but it does not have to govern the heart of a person who trusts God.

If sleep has been hard to come by because your mind will not rest, speak this verse before you close your eyes tonight. If today holds a moment you have been dreading, speak it again before you walk into that room.

Name the fear that follows you into the night or meets you during the day. Bring it honestly before God and ask Him to replace its voice with His peace and truth.

Prayer

Lord, take the terror by night from my mind and the arrow by day from my path. Where fear has made itself comfortable in me, remove it, and remind me that I do not carry these hours alone. Amen.