Day 22, Notice the Witching Hour

For me, it is and has always been a double blow. Right around four o’clock my mind starts to offer all the things that don’t serve me. Sweets, a glass of wine, a few chips…the list goes on. I found out years ago that if I powered through and stayed busy that I could escape. However, after the girls were in bed, the cravings would come back with vengeance and it was all I could do to white knuckle it until I fell asleep. 

This is very common. It is as if the Devil completely stopped being creative. He knows where we have always caved in before so he makes sure that we have some pressure applied at a key time to make us fall. I love the term “witching hour” for these moments because it does feel sometimes like something close and sinister shows up. 

These are often also the times we feel the most tired and vulnerable. For me, by about 4pm I’m exhausted and needing a break. After the girls go to bed, if I haven’t done anything to care for myself that day, my body, heart and mind are screaming for anything to make me feel human again. 

Guys, the solution is simple and oh, so, precious. Stop. Slow down. Be honest about what you need and give yourself the rest you need. Don’t live in fear of this witching hour, trying to power through. Instead, thank God for the reminder that you are worthy of love and that we are not all-powerful. We get to lean on God, we don’t have to do this by ourselves. 

In Isaiah 46:6, NIV, God says,

Even to your old age and gray hairs
    I am he, I am he who will sustain you.
I have made you and I will carry you;
    I will sustain you and I will rescue you.

So, today I want you to flip the cycle around and use the witching hour to bring you running back to refuge. For what our enemy meant to hurt us, God can use it for a blessing. 

Journal Prompt: Identify a time of day or a day of the week that you notice you are extra vulnerable to temptation. Now, flip it. How will you use that reminder to run back to God for some true love and care? 

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