Night Watchmen
Aug 7
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Jenny Gehman
Night watchmen. That’s the role the shepherds were assigned on the night of Jesus’s birth, “keeping watch over their flocks at night” (Luke 2:8, NIV). They were guarding and protecting, as night watchmen do. Staying awake to what lurked in the dark.
What a tender gift to have someone watch over you as darkness descends!
Nearing the end of his life, Jesus invited Peter, James, and John to keep watch with him as night closed in around him. “My soul is overwhelmed with sorrow to the point of death,” he told them. “Stay here and keep watch with me” (Matt. 26:38, NIV).
But try as they may, they fell asleep and failed him. We are human, all. It is difficult to stay awake to the kind of pain that puts the lights right out. We know this.
But there is more in the dark than we might expect. “My soul waits for the Lord to break into the world,” the psalmist proclaimed, “more than night watchmen expect the break of day, even more than night watchmen expect the break of day” (Ps. 130:6, VOICE).
This verse fascinates me. Most night watchmen in this day and age are posted to prevent break-ins. But in this scenario, we have watchmen longing for one, looking for God’s breaking into this world. And didn’t those shepherds back at Jesus’s birth, staring into the inky darkness, see just that?
The dark of night is prime time for most break-ins—apparently, God’s included! “You know very well,” Jesus told his disciples, “that the day of the Lord is going to come like a thief in the night” (1 Thess. 5:2, CEB).
This makes me wonder if one of the things lurking in the dark is the love of God about to break through. What if, as we stay awake to the pain, we are also privileged to see God’s presence?
As a spiritual director, one of my roles and greatest gifts is to serve as a night watchman in this way.
To stay awake to and with my directees in their dark nights. Present to the pain and the presence of God, both—for the night watchmen are not only posted to prevent break-ins, but also to proclaim them. God has come!
Jesus Christ,
light in the darkness, thief in the night,
break in upon us.
Steal away our sorrow, sin, and shame,
and leave us with your peace once more.
P O N D E R
Who has watched over you in the dark night of your soul, staying awake to both your pain and the presence of God in your life?
In what ways have you seen God break in during dark nights? Has it felt more like tiptoes or bright lights?
This meditation is one of the 60 compiled in Jenny’s new book, Little Life Words: 60 Meditations to Soothe, Center, and Strengthen Your Soul. Her book is available for purchase on both Amazon and Bookshop.org
What a tender gift to have someone watch over you as darkness descends!
Nearing the end of his life, Jesus invited Peter, James, and John to keep watch with him as night closed in around him. “My soul is overwhelmed with sorrow to the point of death,” he told them. “Stay here and keep watch with me” (Matt. 26:38, NIV).
But try as they may, they fell asleep and failed him. We are human, all. It is difficult to stay awake to the kind of pain that puts the lights right out. We know this.
But there is more in the dark than we might expect. “My soul waits for the Lord to break into the world,” the psalmist proclaimed, “more than night watchmen expect the break of day, even more than night watchmen expect the break of day” (Ps. 130:6, VOICE).
This verse fascinates me. Most night watchmen in this day and age are posted to prevent break-ins. But in this scenario, we have watchmen longing for one, looking for God’s breaking into this world. And didn’t those shepherds back at Jesus’s birth, staring into the inky darkness, see just that?
The dark of night is prime time for most break-ins—apparently, God’s included! “You know very well,” Jesus told his disciples, “that the day of the Lord is going to come like a thief in the night” (1 Thess. 5:2, CEB).
This makes me wonder if one of the things lurking in the dark is the love of God about to break through. What if, as we stay awake to the pain, we are also privileged to see God’s presence?
As a spiritual director, one of my roles and greatest gifts is to serve as a night watchman in this way.
To stay awake to and with my directees in their dark nights. Present to the pain and the presence of God, both—for the night watchmen are not only posted to prevent break-ins, but also to proclaim them. God has come!
Jesus Christ,
light in the darkness, thief in the night,
break in upon us.
Steal away our sorrow, sin, and shame,
and leave us with your peace once more.
P O N D E R
Who has watched over you in the dark night of your soul, staying awake to both your pain and the presence of God in your life?
In what ways have you seen God break in during dark nights? Has it felt more like tiptoes or bright lights?
This meditation is one of the 60 compiled in Jenny’s new book, Little Life Words: 60 Meditations to Soothe, Center, and Strengthen Your Soul. Her book is available for purchase on both Amazon and Bookshop.org
Jenny Gehman
Jenny Gehman is a spiritual director, freelance writer and retreat facilitator. She was trained as a music therapist, but hospitality is her heartbeat. She is a firm believer in the wild, wide-open, warm-hearted welcome of God, our “Holy Host,” and believes it is at God’s table we are healed and made whole.
Jenny lives in the Amish Country of Pennsylvania with her husband, son, and usually a visitor or two. She enjoys crackling fires, classical music, and chocolate of the darkest variety.
You can learn more about Jenny and sign up to receive her weekly Little Life Words by visiting her website: http://www.jennygehman.com
Jenny Gehman is a spiritual director, freelance writer and retreat facilitator. She was trained as a music therapist, but hospitality is her heartbeat. She is a firm believer in the wild, wide-open, warm-hearted welcome of God, our “Holy Host,” and believes it is at God’s table we are healed and made whole.
Jenny lives in the Amish Country of Pennsylvania with her husband, son, and usually a visitor or two. She enjoys crackling fires, classical music, and chocolate of the darkest variety.
You can learn more about Jenny and sign up to receive her weekly Little Life Words by visiting her website: http://www.jennygehman.com
