Night Watch

Psalm 134

1Behold, bless the LORD, all servants of the LORD,
Who serve by night in the house of the LORD!
² Lift up your hands to the sanctuary
And bless the LORD.
³ May the LORD bless you from Zion,
He who made heaven and earth.

I am going to be honest, I did not remember these verses.  But today, they hit me square in the face.  I grew up with my dad working shift work.  I remember that when it was time for him to get up, we would have to turn all the lights out and not talk to him.  He was such a grizzly before his first cup of coffee.  He would get up, get his coffee, wake up, then leave.  I was never scared when he left.  My mom always made sure we felt safe.  She never, ever showed a sign of being scared of being alone that I can remember.

When I married Mike, he was working nights.  He worked that the first few years of our marriage.  I confess that sometimes it was nice to have the house to myself.  I could watch what I wanted, go to bed when I wanted, hog all the covers.  I never got scared.  Once though, our first dog, Frosty left me a present on our back porch...a dead rat or gopher or something.  I called Mike and told him that he needed to come in the back door and get that thing off the porch!  It didn't scare me, just grossed me out. I always liked the quiet of the night.  The rustling of branches and leaves.  But those things are the same in the quiet of the afternoon if you listen.

But with the police, fire fighters, and all the others that work while we sleep and keep us safe, how can you not sleep soundly.  How can you be scared.  God has angels all around watching us every night.  We pray for protection while we sleep. I now pray for those who are awake while I slumber.  I also thank them too!  So if you have a family member who works at night, pray for them and let them know you appreciate what they do.  It's hard work.