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The Christian Sentinel February 1995 issue
EncounterBy Virginia Miller-Witmer |
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| It started like an ordinary
February evening. The sky was clear and starry and the air was cold and
crisp. But inside our home it felt cozy despite the cool draft on the
floor. My husband and I snuggled together to chase away the crispy cold of
the sheets. We exchanged the ritual goodnight kiss and settled in to sleep
the long winter night away. But some time in the midst of the night, the
ordinary was suddenly expelled by the extraordinary.
My rest was rudely interrupted. I found myself suddenly awake and filled with an all consuming fear. The fear was excruciating but the cause of it was at first unclear. Lifted off my bed, I could not feel anything. My arms were laying across my body but I could not move them. I started to look around our bedroom. The room was filled with an eerie light that seemed to have no source but shone everywhere. The old dresser loomed in the corner covered with my collection of perfumes and nic-nacs but nothing cast a shadow. Seeing clearly, without glasses would be odd enough. This vision was unexplainable. The room should be thick with darkness. The fear and dread gripped me when my eyes met with the materialization of my fears. There by my bed stood a small being. He was about as tall as a 5-year-old child. Terrified, I knew I was completely in its control. Every negative feeling came crashing in on me. The despair of coming danger without escape. Hatred filled with a lust for murder. His dark almond shaped eyes were empty of life and his stature could not disguise his immense power. I quickly turned my gaze away from him only to discover another intruder at my feet. I squeezed my eyes shut, not to open them again. I wished I had never seen their large smooth heads or the abyss of their eyes. I sought to shut them out but, simply closing my eyes would not make these horrid creatures go away. "Get up and go outside," came the command from the being on my right. I clearly sensed the communication although I did not hear it with my ears. "Are you crazy?. . . I won’t go outside. . . .I couldn’t even if I wanted to . . . .I can’t move!" I half chuckled to myself at the absurdness of such a command. But I knew if they wanted me outside, they had more in store for me besides a rude awakening. My mind started to race. "What’s happening to me? .Is this a dream? . . . No! . . . This is definitely no dream! . . . This is really happening.!" My mind was alert and the terror that ripped at me was intimately clear. "Are these aliens from another planet desiring to whisk me away in their space craft? Maybe that’s why they want me to go outside." There was a time in my youth I may have fantasized about alien beings and space travel. But that was a long time ago and fear was never part of those imaginary voyages. "Is this what a real alien encounter is like? Where do they want to take me? I am so terrified here. . . . I’m not going anywhere! . . . I know you hear me you beasts! What’s that . . . go out through the walls or up through the ceiling? . . .Where did that thought come from?. . . Was that mine or theirs?" All I knew was that I was completely and utterly helpless. I was not in control here. They were. Physically I could not resist them. All I had was my mind. Suddenly I became aware that my husband was peacefully sleeping next to me. Perhaps if I woke him, they will have to go. I focused all my energy to this one end. Struggling against an unrelenting force, it seems that my vocal chords are not my own. Finally I mutter my husband’s name. |
"What’s wrong?"
For an instant their spell over me was broken. "I’m scared."
But the liberty lasted just that long. I was right back where I started.
Immovable and helpless.
"Help me . . . Help me! Don’t leave me to them!" . . . "He doesn’t even care to know why I am scared. . . He doesn’t care . . ."The anger I felt was quickly consumed by despair and that in turn was devoured by the unrelenting terror that held me captive. "I have to get out of this . . . I can’t let them control me . . . What else can I do? How can I make them go away?" In desperation I sought a way out. I now knew that I was helpless to save myself. Who else was there to call on? Bible verses began to seep into my troubled mind. I started to think about God and His Word. I started to say the verses to myself as they came to me. "I will never leave you nor forsake you . . . Nothing will ever separate you from my love . . .Greater is He that is in me than he that is in the world . . .Every knee shall bow and every tongue confess that Jesus is Lord. . . " Many other verses flooded my confused and terrified mind and as the scripture came, so did strength and a will to overcome. An indescribable peace overtook me. I started to profess those verses. Then I claimed the power of His promises. "In the name of Jesus, I rebuke you!" I commanded. They were gone. The helplessness was gone. Their terrifying power was lifted. I lay still and motionless in my bed. Somehow shocked by this turn of events. What just happened to me? Exhausted, I had not the energy left to ponder this question. I wished only to return to a peaceful sleep. But if I fell back to sleep perhaps they would be able to sneak back in and attack me. This thought only delayed sleep for a short time. I was emotionally, physically, mentally and spiritually spent. Sleep quickly swept me away and I did not wake again until morning. I thank God for delivering me out of the clutches of these night time intruders. I have not been approached again and do not expect to be. But if they do return I know that they too must bow to the name of Jesus. I will never be helpless again because my helper is ever present and ever willing to deliver me. All I have to do is call on the name of Jesus! Author’s Testimony: Although I accepted Jesus as my Saviour as a child, I have not always lived as I should. After being hurt by molestation, I sought a way to bring power and control into my life. I dabbled in occult practices. I made a childish attempt at witchcraft, participated in childhood seances and as a teen experimented with meditation. In some ways my childhood was good. My family life was secure but inside I was a troubled soul. During all these experiences and many more, I believe God never left me. I grieved Him tremendously but He never abandoned me. Alien encounters were the last thing on my mind in 1987. But one night I found myself in the clutches of an evil presence. I believe if it had not been for the experience, I might not have ever repented of my occult involvement. I had not thought about my occult involvement for years and considered it experiences of a child. Now I know that both God and Satan took my involvement seriously. It really made no difference if I took it seriously or not. |
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