There are few things more ominous for a pastor than being awoken after midnight to the sound of the phone ringing. Invariably it is bound to lead to a sleepless night. It was no different last night when the phone rang, and yet this time everything was different. For the phone call was not from a hospital or a grieving loved one, it was from someone who was dealing with the demonic.

“My son is possessed and I need your help.” As I tried to regain my bearings from being awoken, I was dealt with this assertion which once more knocked me off my bearings. “What is your son’s name,” I managed to stammer out. “Justin.” came back the voice on the other end of the phone in a way that seemed far too calm for so serious a situation.

With the awakening of my body, a growing skepticism about the nature of the phone call was awakening too. I heard the voices of young men in the background. It seemed to me that there was indeed something demonic going on, but it was of a far more mundane manifestation than the scenes from Poltergeist that one thinks of when they hear the word "possessed."

“What signs are there that lead you to believe your son is possessed by demons?”

“His head is spinning around, and his tongue is darting out…” And as his voice trailed off he let out a scream: “O my God!” and hung up, but not before I heard the beginning sounds of laughter make their way over the phone line confirming that indeed the demons were in the behavior and not in the spinning of heads.

The post-midnight phone call had once again led to a sleepless night, but this time I got to spend it in bed, tortured with my own questions. “Who would play such a prank?  Why me?” But the self pitying questions quickly gave way to ones that were self accusatory: “Why is my initial response to the demonic so often skepticism? How many times have I mistaken the demonic for the mundane?” If a so called spiritual leader in the church is hesitant to see the spiritual roots of disorder both in individuals and society, is it any wonder that churches and communities all too often dismiss notions of the demonic as quaint, anti-intellectual superstition.

Perhaps we’ve all just been burned one too many times by false spiritualism and the purveyors of greed who use it to prey on others. Or perhaps we’re so quick to dismiss the supernatural because in the end there is very little that we can do about solving spiritual crises. Counseling and social service are well within the realm of human possibility. Prayer leaves matters in the hands of God and ultimately is more risky. It relies on God as we pray on others and there we have no guarantees beyond His promises. That type of risk can lead to many sleepless nights.