In Peace I Will Both Lie Down and Sleep

All I can remember of the dream was a girl going off to school, something about kissing and a 70’s model muscle car parked at the curb. Yet something about the dream triggered in me some serious angst. All morning long I felt these strong troubling emotions about mistakes I’ve made in the past---in life at large and in relationships. Not knowing what else to do I prayed and quoted scripture.

In my spirit I perceived it was spiritual warfare. To paraphrase C.S. Lewis we make two mistakes along these lines: We dismiss these instances as having to do mostly with what we ate for dinner and watched on television or else we ascribe everything to an attack of the enemy.

I have had similar instances of the same mental and emotional trauma related to my past. It is a ridiculous path to travel down because on its face there are only two paths; to change the past or to wallow in guilt and shame. Fortunately in Christ neither path is necessary. I simply grabbed hold of the fact that there is no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. On top of that, the icing on the cake, is the promise that even the worst of paths God has promised to use for His glory.

The dread feelings of that morning slowly abated as I prayed and praised throughout the day. The rest of this week both sleep and waking have been better for as the Psalmist says, “In peace I will both lie down and sleep, For You alone O Lord, make me to dwell in safety.”