Bats in the Night

The only light in the room was coming from our neighbor's outside light and my bedroom clock that read 3am. I heard it at first. Then I saw it. When I realized what it was, I found myself completely frozen under my blankets. I knew there were bats in our neighborhood, but had no idea one had found its way into our house! Without removing my covers, I slid down off the bed and onto the floor as I simultaneously nudged my husband.

"Honey! Honey!" I said in a panicked whisper. "Honey, there's something in our room. I think it's a bat!"

***

Many of us experience it: the haunting fears that come out at night. The ones that hover over us in the late night hours - like a bat in our room. The ones that wake us, shake us, and rob us of peace. The ones that leave us sleepless, frozen, and anxious. The ones that bully us, making themselves look larger than life- like a large shadow on the wall of something not so large in reality. The ones that make us feel helpless and we fall victim to in our most vulnerable state. 

I believe that, in part, this is what Psalm 91 can be referring to when it talks about “the terrors of the night”. They skew Reality and try to convince us of this lie: that God has left us, that He is not strong enough, and that we have been abandoned to figure things out for ourselves. We feel trapped by it and can’t even reason it away because the lie feels so powerful and makes us think it’s truth, when of course, it is not. 

In those moments, there’s only one thing we need to do: Take shelter and let God handle the Bats. Just the way my husband took care of the bat in our room that night. He woke up immediately and ran to get the broom, while I ran and took shelter in our daughters’ bedroom. I could hear all kinds of commotion through the door as He fearlessly went after it. This was his house and he wasn't putting up with such night time invaders - and neither will God, and neither should we, and yes, neither should you. Bats may think they have the upper hand with us when they come at night. But God is still God and we are still His children regardless of what time of day it is. According to this Psalm, He is our Refuge during the night, during the day, in the darkness, and at midday. He never stops being our Bodyguard and He will fight every Bat that terrorizes His children!

Those who live in the shelter of the Most High will find rest in the shadow of the Almighty. This I declare about the Lord: He alone is my refuge, my place of safety; he is my God, and I trust him. For he will rescue you from every trap and protect you from deadly disease. He will cover you with his feathers. 
He will shelter you with his wings.
 His faithful promises are your armor and protection.
Do not be afraid of the terrors of the night, nor the arrow that flies in the day. Do not dread the disease that stalks in darkness, nor the disaster that strikes at midday. 
Though a thousand fall at your side,
though ten thousand are dying around you, these evils will not touch you. Just open your eyes, and see how the wicked are punished. If you make the Lord your refuge, if you make the Most High your shelter, no evil will conquer you; no plague will come near your home. For he will order his angels to protect you wherever you go. 
They will hold you up with their hands so you won’t even hurt
your foot on a stone. You will trample upon lions and cobras; you will crush fierce lions and serpents under your feet! 
The Lord says, “I will rescue those who love me.
 I will protect those who trust
 in my name. When they call on me, I will answer; I will be with them in trouble. I will rescue and honor them. I will reward them with a long life and give them my salvation.”

‭‭Psalms‬ ‭91:1-16‬ ‭NLT‬‬

http://bible.com/116/psa.91.1-16.nlt