watchwoman

I have set watchmen on your walls, O Jerusalem
They shall never hold their peace day or night
You who make mention of the Lord, do not keep silent
And give Him no rest till He establishes
And till He makes Jerusalem a praise in the earth.
Isaiah 62:6,7

When I came to Isaiah 62 in my quiet time reading a few days ago, I also read the sidebar commentary. In a little piece called "Watchfulness and Restlessness: The True Spirit of Prayer" I found a tidy summary of what watchmen are:

They: 1] "...are positioned high on the walls, prayerfully focused... on activities in the city, among nations as well as developments in heaven itself;" 2] (Are) Alert to the character and ways of God, they review His promises which are unfolding both for Jerusalem and for the nations..." and 3] They take stock with a spirit of urgent restlessness, refusing to keep silent before God."

Something inside me jumped in recognition when I read this – and somehow I thought I was doing it all wrong because I often don’t feel that placid peacefulness after prayer that I expect I should; instead, it’s a continuous restlessness.

It’s waking up in the middle of the night and ringing up God: Don’t forget my son, and keep Your hand on my mother and touch my sister.

It’s banging on His door throughout the day and firing off emails any time day or night: I need to talk to You about my friend who has cancer. What’s happening between you and the neighbors? And then there’s my country...I’m seeing a lot of things that concern me – and also in my city.

It’s being high maintenance and knowing He doesn’t mind – like calling up a spouse 50 times a day to talk over whatever is on my mind at the moment.

It’s the feeling of well-being when someone says, "Don’t worry, I’ll take care of that...", and settling down, only to realize a minute later, I forgot to mention....and getting on the phone again.