Fearing the Hag by Jeff Wiles

My aunt used to tell this story about the hag—a dwarfish man that visited her at night when she was a child, climbing atop her and holding her so she couldn’t move. As ridiculous as the story may seem, I have to admit—when I was young, spending the night with my grandmother, sleeping in the same room where the hag visited my aunt, I never did get much sleep. Fear of the hag prevented me from the refreshment of a good night’s sleep, and I woke languished and irritable.

Fear can do that to me—even as a Christian. Not fear of the hag but fear of job loss, terminal illness, or even fear of letting God down. Such fears can prevent me from enjoying the peace a relationship with Christ is supposed to provide.

But according to Jesus, he’s always with me. And be sure of this: I am with you always, even to the end of the age (Matthew 28:20 NLT). So why should I be afraid? Fear doesn’t originate from God but from a lack of faith in him. But how do I rid myself of these and other fears?

When my children were small and had bad dreams, they would walk into my bedroom and ask if they could sleep with me and my wife. And I would lift them into bed and nestle them beside me, where they quickly went back to sleep. They still had the same fears that drove them to my room. The only difference was that the faith they had in their father to protect them was stronger than their fears.

And shouldn’t I have that much confidence in my Heavenly Father? I may be afraid, but he’s not. So, when your fears seem overwhelming, just snuggle up close to God, and remember whose arms you’re in.

Prayer: Thank You Father for calming our fears when we place them in Your hands.

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