Hope After Nightmares

I'm sitting here at one in the morning, just woken up from a nightmare.  When I woke up I was bewildered and confused - I felt so shaken up and like something had a hold of me that left me feeling so helpless and lonely.  I felt surrounded by an unseen enemy.  It seems like there are only certain periods of time where I have continual nightmares and I pray that they don't start back up again, but as I was lying there in the dark with tears streaming down my face, a phrase from Psalm 13 rang through my brain and it was only because of the constant reminders of the gospel that I was able to find instant joy.  "... But I have trusted in Your steadfast love; my heart rejoices in Your salvation.  I will sing to the Lord, for He has been good to me."   My God is not the author of evil.  He wrote the perfect love story contained in the gospel - the one where He valiantly set out to save my soul from pain that would last forever - completely outside of time.  I'm only on this earth for around 80 years and that's hardly a blink of an eye in the span of eternity.  For now, I am here to work, so I have accepted that we will all suffer in some way in this life.  However, we can still find true JOY along the journey because we have a hope in that His strength is "made perfect in weakness."  God is working through our weaknesses and I am learning to boast in my weakness because His power is on full display and I always have the assurance that Christ already conquered our condemnation.  Now I can go back to sleep with tears of joy on my face. :)   2 Cor 12:9-10