Cause for Alarm
Whenever the phone rings between midnight and 6 a.m., I always think the worst. In most cases, I am roused from a deep sleep and fearful about who is on the other end of the line and why they are calling at such an ungodly hour.
I had a similar experience last month when Safeguard Security, the firm that oversees our alarm system, called to report “movement” in the lower hallway of the church. I glanced at the clock in my bedroom where the red numerals boldly showed that it was 1:54 a.m.
I usually dismiss such a call as a false alarm, but in this case, I couldn’t take a chance, so I asked the attendant to call the sheriff and ask that an officer be dispatched to check on our beloved church.
A short time later, the phone rang again. This time it was the responding officer who had checked the premises and gave the all-clear. I was grateful, but wide awake. Getting back to sleep would take another hour.
In our faith journey, there are many things that can “alarm” us, including our own behavior. We need an internal alarm system to steer us away from temptation and evil. Some call it a conscience, but as followers of Christ, we refer to it as the Holy Spirit.
There are plenty of references in Scripture to the Holy Spirit, including this from Romans 8:28, which states, “the Spirit helps us in our weakness. For we do not know what to pray for as we ought, but the Spirit Himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words.” And there is this promise from Ephesians 1:13, which says, “when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation, and believed in Him, [you] were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit.”