The Night Shift

Father,

I thank You for working the night shift. You never weary or slumber. You are as strong tonight as You have ever been. Your power is not limited. Your compassion is as full as the ocean. Your love is grander than any mountain. Somehow You know what we all need though You are bombarded with requests from all over the planet at every possible hour.

Thank You for listening and caring enough to act on our behalf. Thank You for lifting the heavy burdens that weigh us down. Thank You for being strong enough to move our immovable mountains. Thank You for still healing when it pleases You. Thank You for comforting us in our sorrows. Thank You for faithfully meeting our needs.

Thank You for working the night shifts. When our frail bodies hit the wall and in exhaustion and we can do no more, You enable us to do all things through Christ who strengthens us. When our hearts are broken You are near to us and bring healing. When our dreams get shattered into a million pieces You are there to comfort and redirect our steps. When our needs overextend our financial means You still have ample supply in Your storehouse. When the enemy assails us You are our strong tower of defense. When our resolve weakens You renew our courage for You never forsake us. When sorrows drown our faith in puddles of pain You hold us close to comfort and to soothe our wounded spirits.

You are mighty. You are the God of the impossible. You see with a different perspective. You rule completely in control of this chaotic world. You are not panicked. You are not worried. You are not distraught. You know what You're doing and You have earned the right to be trusted by thousands of generations. You do not fail. You do not forsake Your own. You test us in trials. You prove our faith. You do not abandon us. You do not allow us to be tempted beyond what You give us strength to endure.

In this night watch I praise You for watching over the new borns as they sleep. They are without a care in the world except a wet diaper or when they get hungry. I ask You to give even adults that peaceful sleep tonight. I lift those to You who are living in a shattered world of death or divorce. I ask You to hold them tight in bed and whisper songs of love and hope for the future. I lift those to You who are weary. They work hard and wake up exhausted most days. I ask You to use sleep to renew their muscles and minds. I ask You to awaken them refreshed and let this night of sleep be healing and renewing. I lift up those at their wits ends trying to overcome financial setbacks. As You sent Elijah provision through the ravens and I ask You today to send Your provision through the mail. For those who feel rejected after being turned down by job after job I ask You to reach down to Your key ring and turn the right key in the right door unlocking a brand new opportunity. For those stressed by the demands of life I ask You to give them Your peace in place of their anxiety.

For those incapacitated by fear I ask You to triumph fear with faith. For the lonely I ask You to send a phone call, a visitor a letter, a text and a word to remind You have not forgotten them. For the abused I ask You to deliver them and to bind their physical, emotional and psychological wounds. For the hopeless in the hospitals watching their loved ones suffer I ask You to show up in this night watch to remind You are still there. I ask You to will to turn things around for them. For those who live in chronic pain and who can barely sleep through the night I ask You to speak a word of healing like You did for the leper, the lame and the blind. For those being strangled to death by depression I ask You in Your mighty name to break the grip and let hope resurface. For the burned out pastor tired of hitting his head against the wall and seeing no change I ask You to encourage him today someway and somehow. For the ones inching ever closer to temptation and the devil's snare I ask You to wake them up. I ask You to bring them to their senses. I ask You to move those to flee flirting with sexual immorality. For those who have already failed and now live in condemnation I ask You to bring them to repentance and restoration.

I lift up this sin sick nation. Hell bent on moving further and further away from You. Please move us back to You. Please call us to repentance. Please convict and  call this nation to accountability. I ask You to demolish pretense and hypocrisy. I ask You to revive Your sleeping church. I ask You to awaken apathetic pastors and stir them and their flocks back to the prayer closet. I ask You to awaken the intercessors to stand in the gap in the night watches. I ask You to rekindle fire in the hearts of Your people. I ask You to sweep a wave of conviction over Your compromising church and bring the masses to repentance. I ask You to sound the alarm to wake up Your sleeping church while the enemy runs rampant stealing, killing and destroying. I ask You to rescue every prodigal wandered far from You and home. I ask You to break the chains that bind people to destructive sin.

As I see the Terrible Day Of The Lord approaching I am sobered. There is so much at stake. The souls of billions on this planet who do not know You. One day it will be too late. Please weigh this on the heart of Your people. I ask You to send a fresh wave of boldness on Your church again. Please open our eyes to distractions and to the things that do not matter. Help us to live in light of eternity. Help us care about the things You care about. Help us not lose heart when the going gets tough. I ask You to send another great awakening around the world. One where millions come to know You as Savior. One where Your church is purged and cleansed. One where true worshipers arise without fear or shame.

For as long as it takes, as often as You want I ask You to keep calling me to work the night shift. So much is at stake. Please do not let me flitter away this fleeting life in sleep. I trust You to give me what rest I need.

I ask all this in Your name O Jesus, who works the night shifts. Amen.