Tammy On Tuesday ~ Blindsided By Fear

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What is it about nighttime that brings to the mind of the worrier more thoughts than one can contain? It doesn’t happen too often. And I can’t predict when or why. But some nights I will be awakened, maybe by a sound. I don’t know. I will find myself awake and thoughts and concerns bombard me like a machine gun on rapid fire. If I tried in the daylight to think on the vast array of thoughts I don’t believe my mind could think on themPINIMAGE in any natural progression of concern. Nighttime fears for me are often random and exaggerated.

Nighttime fears for me are often random and exaggerated.

Temptation to worry has been with me for as long as I can remember. When I was just a young girl, I was sitting in church of all places and worry overtook me. I told my mother about it later and we spoke to my pediatrician. He asked me what a young girl like me would have to worry about. He told me to go home and lay in the yard and watch the clouds.

I am learning to conquer the ill effects of fear when it creeps up in my waking hours through meditating on the things of God and praying through my needs and fears. You’ve may have heard it said, “turning worries into prayers.” That’s what I’ve done.

But at nighttime it’s like being blindsided.

All I know is that there, in the stillness of night, my heart begins to race and the worry weighs down like a suffocating blanket. There have been times I would lie awake for hours like this with no relief. But lately, I fight against the worry by praying scripture. I meditate on who God is and what He promises me.

You will keep in perfect peace all who trust in you, all whose thoughts are fixed on you! Isaiah 26:3

In peace I will both lie down and sleep; for you alone, O LORD, make me dwell in safety. Psalm 4:8

Give all your worries and cares to God, for he cares about you. 1 Peter 5:7

When I am afraid, I put my trust in you. Psalm 56:3

 Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be frightened, and do not be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go. Joshua 1:9

Fix your thoughts on what is true, and honorable, and right, and pure, and lovely, and admirable. Think about things that are excellent and worthy of praise.  Philippians 4:8

Two nights ago, I awoke gripped with fear and anxiety. I looked at the clock – 2:00 AM. My heart was racing and the feeling was all too familiar. (Not this again!) I went right to work, focusing my mind on truth and whispering scripture prayers to God. It didn’t take long and I was once again fast asleep.

In the morning, I headed to my reading chair and sat thinking about the nighttime interruption. As many as I could remember, I began to jot on a note pad the concerns that were so overwhelming in the dark.  Funny thing about it, they weren’t so insurmountable as they had seemed. Some of the worries seemed quite silly.

I spent time lifting the burdens to the Lord one by one and leaving them with Him. In return He gave me peace. In fact, the need to be vigilant in taking my needs to the Lord has made me more aware of Him in my everyday life. He often encourages my heart throughout the day in ways big and small just let me know He’s there and He’s listening and He will also be with me in the nighttime hours.

Maybe you can relate. I encourage you to find scripture verses that strengthen you and speak to your need. Memorize them or keep them close at hand. God is faithful even in the nighttime watches. I have wondered at times why I still struggle with anxiety but through these struggles He is teaching me to trust Him with childlike faith. He is teaching me that He listens and cares for His children.

Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done.  Then you will experience God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus. Phil 4:6-7