You have been serving Christ for forty years, and now you are troubled by the curses of those who serve the darkness? Do not be alarmed. For what power do they have against those who are in the hand of the Almighty? If Christ be for us, who can be against us? He who is in you is greater than he who is in the world. The demons themselves tremble at the name of the Crucified, and yet you fear the mumblings of mortal men? Their hexes are like the night, but you are children of the day. Night comes, but it has no power to hold back the dawn except we ourselves pull the curtains shut.
You tell me they disturb your sleep. I answer: the Apostle says, “Let us not sleep, as do others, but let us watch and be sober.” For the sleep of the body is one thing, but the sleep of the soul is another. These attacks are permitted so that you may learn to watch in the night as the holy Apostles watched. Remember Paul and Silas, thrust into the inner prison, their feet in stocks. It was midnight, the hour of deepest darkness, when they prayed and sang hymns to God. And what happened? Suddenly there was a great earthquake, the doors flew open, and everyone’s chains were loosed. God did not remove them from the prison before the midnight test; He delivered them in the midst of it, and turned the keeper of the prison into a trembling suppliant, crying, “What must I do to be saved?”
So now, in the midnight of your distress, do not rage against those who curse you. Instead, pray and sing praise. The earthquake of His power will shake the foundations of that spiritual prison, and your bonds will fall away. Perhaps the Lord has allowed this so that some soul among those who practice such evils might see your steadfastness and, like that jailer, fall at your feet asking the way of life. Do not fear their spells; rather, fear lest you give way to the sleep of despair or anger. That is the real danger.
Consider the woman with the issue of blood. For twelve years she suffered, and physicians only made her worse. She did not seek out magicians or charms; she did not wail that her health was ruined. She said in herself, “If I may but touch the hem of His garment, I shall be whole.” And she pressed through the crowd, not with boldness, but with humble faith, and instantly the fountain of her blood was dried up. You have touched that hem countless times at the holy Table, receiving the very Body and Blood of the Lord. Touch Him again now by faith, and do not doubt. The curse of the wicked is a shadow; the blessing of Christ is substance. Why do you look at the shadow and forget the light?
And if these afflictions have come upon your health, remember that health of the soul is the true health. Bodily sickness often serves as a medicine. The great enemy would love nothing more than to drive you to seek deliverance through fear, through superstitious terror, through some secret art. But that would be to exchange the fountain of living water for a broken cistern. The only deliverance you need is to rest more firmly in the arms of the crucified Lord. Say with the Psalmist, “I will not be afraid of the terror by night, nor of the arrow that flies by day.” Let the witches mumble their nonsense; you have the Name that is above every name, and at that Name every knee must bow, including theirs, whether they will or no.
Therefore, be sober and watchful. Do not make provision for the flesh, fretting over lost sleep or aching limbs. That is to fulfill the lusts of a fearful heart. Rather, turn this trial into a vigil of prayer. When sleep flees, let your spirit rise to heaven. Intercede for those who curse you, that they may be delivered from the far more terrible prison of their own malice. In this way you heap coals of fire on their heads, not to burn, but to enlighten. And you will find that the peace of God, which passes all understanding, will stand guard over your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. The true deliverance is not merely to sleep soundly again, but to possess a soul so anchored in God that even sleepless nights become opportunities for communion with Him. Stand fast, and you will see the salvation of the Lord.