Terrors of the Night

Terrors of the Night

It was a hot, humid night in the tropics. As I lay in my bed under the protective covering of mosquito netting, the humming of an ancient air conditioner kept me awake. This was my last night in Mombasa, Kenya. I had an early flight to catch in the morning that would take me home.

I had been here for ten days teaching at a Pastors Conference. In my previous trips I was part of a team that came from the States. This time I came alone and was joined by a pastor from Australia. Together we spent four days teaching and visiting churches out in the bush.

On the next to the last day, when we met for breakfast, my friend told me he received an emergency call from home. His daughter was seriously sick and he needed to leave that day for Australia. That left me alone. Well, not completely alone. The bishop who invited us to come was to take me to the airport in the morning.

Alone, the only white man in the hotel, and a long night ahead of me I sensed it would be a difficult one. Trying to sleep and at the same time listening to unfamiliar noises, there was no way I could close my eyes. Before I knew it, fear had gripped me. My imagination started to run wild. I saw strange shadows in the room. I started sweating. The terrors of the night were upon me. Terrors of the night are a condition in which a person reacts to a foreboding sense of fear.

I prayed like I never prayed before. I remembered I had a portable CD player with me. I put my headphones on and spent the rest of the night awake, praying and listening to hymns. It was only by the grace of God that I didn't completely flip out.

The Bible says: “You will not fear the terrors of the night, nor the arrow that flies by day, nor the pestilence that stalks in the darkness, nor the plague that destroys at midday…If you say, ‘The Lord is my refuge,’ and make the Most High your dwelling, no harm will overtake you, no disaster will come near your tent.”

Amen