He Never Sleeps

Last week, I wrote about how my mother lay awake worrying about house fires and how to get everyone out of the children's home she and my father operated in the early fifties in Alaska. (See Fire!) Although she got sick and had to give up the children's home, through that she did finally learn to trust such things things to the Lord.

But I had to learn that same lesson myself.

Bob in Vietnam 1969

When my husband, Bob,  resigned his regular commission in the Army to go into full-time gospel ministry, the Army asked him to keep a reserve commission even though he had satisfied his required time in the military.

The Army needed personnel to fill in for certain officers in the regular army when they took leave. But they couldn't use just anyone. They needed officers who had performed that job while on active duty. Instead of fulfilling the requirements of reserve duty the usual way one weekend a month, he could chose which two week time period he would serve.

That allowed him to fulfill his active duty requirements between terms at seminary. It also provided extra income then as well as later when he was a pioneer pastor.

While Bob was in seminary in Springfield, Missouri, our son was a preschooler. We rented a small, one-story house with windows all around. I worked at our denominational publishing house as an editorial assistant. My job included a lot of proofreading and editing.

The first time Bob went away for his two-week tour of duty was the first time I would be home alone at night with a young child. The first night, I lay in bed afraid to close my eyes. All through those long hours, I stared toward the open bedroom door imagining every shadow to be an intruder. What would I do if someone broke in?

The next day, I could hardly function at work. My eyelids drooped, and I struggled to stay awake as I tried to proofread. I knew I could not survive two weeks like this.

Courtesy Google.com

That night, when I got into bed, I prayed, "Lord, you promised in Psalm 121 that You neither slumber nor sleep. There's no sense both of us staying awake. I'm going to trust You to watch over us and take care of us." And I deliberately closed my eyes.

It took a determined act of my will, but I kept my eyes closed. It wasn't long before I fell asleep and awoke refreshed in the morning.

Each night, I repeated that prayer. Before long, I had no problem sleeping in the house when Bob was away. Of course, I always took the necessary precautions of checking to be sure the doors and windows were all locked.

Do you have trouble trusting the Lord in everyday situations? Try what I did. Find a Bible promise that relates to your need and pray it. Determine to trust it to God.

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Fire!

Ah-oo! Ah-oo!

The town fire alarm wailed into that cold winter night in the early fifties in Juneau, Alaska's capital city. I've never heard another fire alarm like it. That chilling sound always struck terror to my heart as a child even as I snuggled all warm under my covers.

Everyone was safely in bed, but Mother couldn't sleep. The fire alarm confirmed the reality of her worst nightmare: Fire--the scourge of Alaska when stoves overheated on frigid winter nights.

Night after night, Mother lay awake in her bedroom downstairs imagining every possible scenario and worrying about how to get all the children out safely in case of a fire in the children's home she and my dad operated.

Daddy snored softly beside her. He worked long hours at Alaska Coastal Airlines to support the children's home. Including their own three, the two of them cared for thirteen children, nine of them under five, and two babies in cribs.

© AnnaLee Conti
Some of the children with the Cousart family (c.), Grandma Personeus (r.), and another
visitor at the Bethel Beach Children's Home. That's me, the only child in the back row.

 Slipping quickly from beneath the warm covers, Mother grabbed her chenille robe and peered between the curtains. A red-orange glow back lit the silhouette treeline to the north. Black smoke billowed into the star-studded heavens.

She heard the soft padding of small feet from the girl's dorm room directly above and hurried upstairs.

"Mommy! Look!"I called to her from the window as she entered our bedroom. "The fire horn woke me up."

She tiptoed across the room quickly to stand by my side. From this vantage point, she could see that the fire was not endangering us, but it could be engulfing another larger children's home a few miles away.

Hugging me, she said, "Let's pray for them." We bowed our heads and begin to petition God for the safety of those involved in the fire.

The next day, our suspicions were confirmed. The boys dorm at the Juneau Children's Home had burned to the ground. It was a miracle that no lives were lost. There weren't even any serious injuries.

But my mother worried even more--until she landed in the hospital, and the children's home was forced to close.

Worry can kill. My mother learned that the hard way. Worry is the opposite of trust. Isaiah penned, "I will trust and not be afraid" (12:2).  The psalmist, recognizing his human tendency to be fearful, wrote, "Whenever I am afraid, I will trust in You" (56:3).

Those are good words to live by. God has everything under control. Trust Him. God never slumbers nor sleeps (Psalm 121:4). No sense both of you staying awake!

Courtesy Google.com

Prescription for Peace Part 4, Fear

So far, we've discussed two areas that rob us of peace: guilt and worry. The third factor is fear.

Human beings tend to expect the worst. We fear the unknown, the unexpected, sickness, death, the end of the world, eternity.

Remember when Jesus and His disciples set out in a boat to cross the Sea of Galilee? Worn out from preaching and teaching, Jesus promptly fell asleep. A great wind storm swept down over the sea, and the waves threatened to swamp their frail vessel, but Jesus slept on, undisturbed by the raging storm.

Rembrandt painting

"Jesus!" the disciples cried. "Don't you care that we are going to perish?"

Jesus awoke. "Don't be afraid, oh you of little faith!" Then He stretched out His hands and spoke. "Peace, be still!" And the storm ceased.

Fear is a natural human emotion. Fear stimulates the flow of adrenalin, which prepares us for fight or flight. Healthy fear can save our lives in times of danger.

Unhealthy fear, though, can paralyze us and keep us from accomplishing the purposes of God in our lives. Our bodies are not designed for a constant flow of adrenalin. It will raise our blood pressure and trigger anxiety, heart disease, and digestive problems, to name a few of the possible complications.

During World War II, Corrie ten Boom and her family hid Jews from the Nazis. They were caught and thrown into a concentration camp. Only she survived. She told of her childhood fear that her father would die. "How could I stand it?" she asked him tearfully.

"When you go on the train to visit your grandmother, when do I give you the ticket?" he asked her.

"Just before I board the train."

"And God will give you the grace to handle it when that time comes, so don't be afraid."

We don't need to fear death because by His resurrection from the dead, Jesus took the sting out of death and the grave (1 Corinthians 15:55-57).

We don't need to fear anything this life throws at us, because Jesus has promised to walk with us through all our trials.

Once when I was afraid about my future, I remembered 1 John 4:18, "Perfect love casts out fear." I must not have perfect love, I thought. Then I heard His voice say to my spirit, "Oh, my child, only My love is perfect. Rest in Me." Trust is the opposite of fear.

And Jesus is coming again to take care of our eternal future. "When all these things begin to happen, stand and look up, for your salvation is near!" (Luke 21:28). Be not afraid!

Because He lives, I can face tomorrow;
Because He lives, all fear is gone;
Because I know, I know, He holds the future,
And life is worth the living just because He lives.
                                  --Bill and Gloria Gaither