Watch and Pray: Staying Alert in a Troubled World
After a long walk on a beautiful Minnesota fall day, I stopped at a coffee shop to grab a caramel cooler. Sitting outside for a bit, I sipped my cold drink and watched people and traffic go by. Suddenly a car driven by an elderly man caught my attention. On his passenger window, in ugly red letters, someone had scrawled a disturbing message: “Nice parking [expletive]!”
I felt both grief and anger that this poor man was driving around in public with such a shaming and degrading message scribbled on his window. I watched him drive toward the far side of the shopping complex.
I was deeply bothered, then I thought, Hey, not on my watch!
Quickly finishing my cooler, I headed inside to a public restroom, grabbed several paper towels, and wetted some of them with water and soap.
I found his car parked in front of a restaurant, where I assume the man had gone for dinner. I thought it would be an easy fix but then realized the man had already tried to scrub the message from his window. The substance the perpetrator had used was not going to come off easily.
Of course, that made me even more determined! So for the next 20 minutes, I scraped the message with my fingernails until I finally removed all of it. As I walked home, I prayed for the man—hoping he would know there are plenty of people who care about what is good and right. I also prayed that he might somehow experience the love of Jesus through other people in his life.
Watchful Eyes, Urgent Voices
As followers of Jesus, we are confronted daily with sin, hatred, and injustices. We cannot right every wrong, fix every hurtful attitude, or intervene in every harmful situation. But God still calls us to “watch and pray” on behalf of our nation and the people around us.
The idea of being “watchmen” comes from several places in Scripture. In Isaiah 62 God instructs His people to take their places on the walls of Jerusalem, crying out to God day and night. Jesus instructs His disciples to “watch and pray” (Luke 21:36). And the Apostle Paul reminds the Church to be devoted, watchful, and thankful (Col. 4:2). It is both an assignment and a privilege for followers of Jesus to stay alert, watch carefully, and pray with urgency.
In this issue, James Goll writes about his regular appointments with God on spiritually significant days of the year. He also urges us to be sensitive to the Spirit’s leading, which might mean getting up in the middle of the night to take a prayer watch. David Kubal issues the warning that God holds nations accountable for their sins—and the role of today’s intercessors is to recognize pending judgment and pray accordingly. Dale Schlafer reminds us that God is the true Watchman, and our role is to pay attention, to observe what is going on around us, and to learn from God how to pray according to His purposes.
It’s time to step up and take our positions on the walls. Invite the Spirit to give you watchful eyes and a sensitive heart to the needs around you. Be ready to pray—and perhaps also ready to grab some paper towels.
–CAROL MADISON is editor of Prayer Connect.
