Psalm 91 is not only a favorite of mine, but has become a petition I offer to the Lord daily on behalf of my family. Closely linked to it is Psalm 121, which I also incorporate in my prayer.
Both Psalms utilize Hebrew figures of speech called merisms, which is the combining of two metaphors (comparisons) that convey opposite extremes. For instance Psalm 91:5 states:
“Thou shalt not be afraid for the terror by night; nor for the arrow that flieth by day.”
By offering two extremes—night and day—it takes in everything in between! It “covers all bases,” so to speak, and so the totality of the circumstance is meant. The basic meaning we are given is, “God has you covered night and day, and you do not have to fear anything at any time!” Not the terrors, nightmares, sickness, loneliness, attacks that may confront us in the dark hours of the night; Nor the violence and attacks that may come in the course of daily life and our walk of faith day by day.
The merism is also employed in verse 6:“Nor for the pestilence that walketh in darkness; nor for the destruction that wasteth at noon day.” Again we have the extremes of darkness vs. noon, when the sun is at its highest. God’s assurance is that He will protect us 24/7! We see the same pattern in Psalm 121:
“I will lift up mine eyes unto the hills, from whence cometh my help. My help cometh from the LORD, which made heaven and earth. He will not suffer thy foot to be moved: he that keepeth thee will not slumber. Behold, he that keepeth Israel shall neither slumber nor sleep. The LORD is thy keeper: the LORD is thy shade upon thy right hand. The sun shall not smite thee by day, nor the moon by night. The Lord shall preserve thy soul. The LORD shall preserve thy going out and thy coming in from this time forth, and even for evermore.”
In verse 7 we have the summation of the whole Psalm: “The Lord shall preserve thee from all evil”! Verses 6 & 8 contain the merisms that express this: Be it evil from the sun by day or the moon by night, or in thy going out and thy coming in; This means everything in between! At all times and in all places, He shall preserve thee; even forevermore!
So what you and I are to do when evil comes is to lift up our eyes unto the hills from whence comes our help! This is a reference to the House of God situated on Mt. Zion, surrounded by the mountains of Jerusalem. In other words, we look to God, our Creator, knowing He never slumbers or sleeps! It doesn’t matter to God. It’s all the same to Him, and He is our keeper 24/7!
NIGHT TERRORS
It is in the night, however, that bad things seem more frightening, and when Satan often attacks through nightmares, fears, even physical pain, especially when you are battling a sickness or infirmity in your body. This is what Job experienced. He said, “In thoughts from the visions of the night, when deep sleep falleth on men, fear came upon me and trembling, which made all my bones shake. Then a spirit passed before my face; the hair of my flesh stood up” (Job 4:13-15).
This is terror by night, and I have experienced this many times, even from childhood. But after I injured my spine over 17 years ago, these incidents increased and became more overwhelming. (I share in more detail these experiences on my CD Terror by Night.) This took a heavy toll on my already weakened body and left me in more pain, shaken, and spiritually drained. Many times I would wake myself up yelling, “The Blood of Jesus is against you! You can’t trespass the Blood!” Then the “thing” would be broken and the atmosphere would clear, and I would have peace. Once I woke up saying, “I’m saved! I’m beautiful, and I’m full of the Holy Ghost!” (I actually don’t remember saying this, but Benny heard me.)
Often I would lie awake the rest of the night afraid to go back to sleep. The next day I was tired and depressed; Just what Satan wanted. Sleep deprivation is a major cause of many sicknesses, and I was in a vicious cycle, because the enemy took advantage of my back injury. I was ruled by fear and did not take authority over the enemy like I should have. I finally realized that the devil does not fight fair; He attacks when you’re most vulnerable, and this includes when you are sleeping. I began to fight back with boldness. As soon as I felt that presence, even half-asleep, I took authority over it in Jesus’ Name. Sometimes the intensity would let up, but if I still felt an uneasiness in my spirit, I would continue to rebuke the enemy until it lifted. Then I would add, “And don’t come back!”
Gradually, the attacks became less frequent and weaker. Now they are very infrequent, because I know I am guarded and protected by God’s vigilant angelic ministers, and I take seriously God’s watchfulness and the authority I have because of the blood of Jesus and the word of my testimony (Ref. Rev. 12:11). Now rather than being terrified, I become indignant that the enemy disrupted my sleep!
I encourage you if you or anyone you know is experiencing a similar problem, my message on this is a great source of both inspiration and information on how to face and defeat The Terror By Night.
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