Photo © 2015 Rebekah Hamblett
When I read these verses, I can picture a watchman on the walls of the city of Jerusalem peering into the night, eyes and ears alert to any sign that an enemy might be approaching. And I imagine the relief he would feel at the first light of dawn – relief that his long shift is nearly over, relief that nothing bad happened on his watch, relief at the vision that daylight brings and enemies can no longer hide under the cloak of darkness.
I’ve never been a night watchman, but I did work the nightshift alone in a group home one summer. The first few hours were no problem – there were always chores to be done and paperwork to catch up on. But from about 2:00 a.m. on, the night seemed endless. It felt like morning would never come. The need to stay alert when my body was begging for sleep, combined with the array of eerie sounds one hears in an old house filled with sleeping people, did not make for an easy night. I've also had the experience of keeping watch all night with a sick child – waiting fearfully until that first light of dawn – things always look better in the morning.
As much as you know the morning will indeed come, that the night will come to an end, it doesn't make the waiting any easier.
I know what it's like to wait for God. I know what it’s like to cry out to God and wonder if and when He will answer. While we wait for God to act, the Psalmist reminds us that “in His word I put my hope.” What is God’s Word? He loves us, He is always with us – even when we cannot feel Him there, He will never leave us nor forsake us. Though the wait seems endless, though the darkness seems overwhelming at times, we wait with hope – dawn will come, there will be an end to our trials. Like the watchman waiting for the morning, we keep our eyes peeled and our hearts on the alert for the Bright and Morning Star. Our hope is not in vain!
- Laurie Edwards
I’ve never been a night watchman, but I did work the nightshift alone in a group home one summer. The first few hours were no problem – there were always chores to be done and paperwork to catch up on. But from about 2:00 a.m. on, the night seemed endless. It felt like morning would never come. The need to stay alert when my body was begging for sleep, combined with the array of eerie sounds one hears in an old house filled with sleeping people, did not make for an easy night. I've also had the experience of keeping watch all night with a sick child – waiting fearfully until that first light of dawn – things always look better in the morning.
As much as you know the morning will indeed come, that the night will come to an end, it doesn't make the waiting any easier.
I know what it's like to wait for God. I know what it’s like to cry out to God and wonder if and when He will answer. While we wait for God to act, the Psalmist reminds us that “in His word I put my hope.” What is God’s Word? He loves us, He is always with us – even when we cannot feel Him there, He will never leave us nor forsake us. Though the wait seems endless, though the darkness seems overwhelming at times, we wait with hope – dawn will come, there will be an end to our trials. Like the watchman waiting for the morning, we keep our eyes peeled and our hearts on the alert for the Bright and Morning Star. Our hope is not in vain!
- Laurie Edwards
Today pray for:
Water Village Community Church and their pastors James and Virginia Waugh
Freewill Baptist Church, West Charleston and their pastor Richard Whitehill
Our churches to fulfill Isaiah 61:1-3 in our time
Water Village Community Church and their pastors James and Virginia Waugh
Freewill Baptist Church, West Charleston and their pastor Richard Whitehill
Our churches to fulfill Isaiah 61:1-3 in our time
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