An alert watchman is always in duty.
Isaiah 62:6 – On your walls, O Jerusalem, I have set watchmen; all the day and all the night they shall never be silent.
“Do Not Disturb” is a sign on the walls of too many Christ followers these days. Many faithful prayer warriors, beseeching Heaven on behalf of the nation, are not “up on the walls, staying alert with eyes wide open, discerning what it is that God is doing.” Their prayers fall short of urgency over the events of the day.
Today’s verse says it is God who sets up the watchmen. In the ancient cities, walls were a protection. The safety for the city was a constant awareness of the watchman…alertness was one of his tasks. To be the one stationed on the wall by the Lord Himself was a great privilege. Jesus has called you to “watch and pray.” He wants you spiritually alert to the things that would attack the “city” you are called to watch over.
Evil roams the city’s streets; it has already penetrated the gates of government meant to hold it back. And spiritual darkness has covered many. Make it your watchman’s duty this week to pray “so that we would not be outwitted by Satan, for we are not ignorant of his designs” (2 Corinthians 2:11).
Pray With Us
Holy God, I must admit that I often let my prayers drift into something like ‘please bless America,’ or ‘keep us in Your care’ without sensing the urgency of what is happening each day in this nation that requires my cry to You. I watch rioters, but I fail to pray for someone to show them the path to salvation. I listen to politicians, but I fail to pray that they would look to You for wisdom. And those don’t even begin to cover what I need to be more alert to. I ask that Your Holy Spirit would intercede for me when I don’t pray as I ought to or as I might. Show me, give me discernment, keep me in Your Word. Like a responsible watchman, I want to be ready with prayer day and night.
Amen.
