Watchmen
I have posted watchmen on your walls, Jerusalem; they will never be silent day or night. You who call on the Lord, give yourselves no rest, and give him no rest till he establishes Jerusalem and makes her the praise of the earth. Isaiah 62:6-7
I heard the word ‘goretta’ right at the end of a recent dream. I’d never heard this before so I looked it up online. It’s an Italian surname and is a diminutive of the name ‘Gregory’ which means ‘watchman’.
At our Wednesday morning prayer meetings we’ve heard a lot about watchmen, about being vigilant and keeping alert. This was definitely a call to be watchmen, to be on the lookout for what God is doing or for enemy action. This time though, it seemed to be a real emphasis on action – what are we going to do as a result of what we see?
In the Isaiah verses, we get some clues on this. The primary purpose of a watchman is to observe but then also to report. In ancient Israel, watchmen were continually scanning from towers, walls or the harvest fields, acting as guards and lookouts. Was an enemy on its way? Is that a messenger I spy? Are thieves or wild animals trying to steal or destroy the harvest? If so, the watchman sounded an alarm to try to protect the community or their property. The watchman also acted as a sentinel, marking the start of the new day.
Isaiah tells us that God has posted watchmen. He calls us all to be alert and focused, praying over our community. Some are called specifically to be prophetic voices who warn about the enemy’s activity and encourage the community with news about God’s activity among them. Their job is to urge believers to be faithful in all they do: this is a new day.
But there’s a role for all of us. These verses tell us of the imperative to speak out unceasingly, day and night; to give the people no rest, but also to give God no rest. The call is to obedience – to give out the message that God has entrusted to us. There’s a solemn warning elsewhere in scripture (see for example Ezekiel 3:17-19) that we will be held accountable if we don’t pass on what we see or hear. Once we’ve spoken out the message, our job is done; we simply need to be obedient.
Prayer
Lord God, we thank you for posting watchmen on the walls – those who encourage and inspire us to live faithfully for you, who warn us about the enemy at work but who also point out what God is doing in our midst. But Father, you’ve also called all of us to be alert and to stay awake. As we hear you speaking, please help us to take action, to be responsible for sharing the message you’ve entrusted to us. Thank you that your Holy Spirit will help us to hear your voice, will give us the opportunities to share what we hear, and give us the boldness to speak out your truth. Your Word says to give you no rest, and so we cry out to you today to protect your people and for your glory to be seen in us. We pray that you would help us to reach out to those who don’t yet know you and we give you thanks for the hope of that new start that is possible in you.
In Jesus’s name, Amen.
Liesel Stanbridge
Prayer Co-ordinator