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Night Watch

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I didn't plan to spend the night praying. It's just that I'm in the middle of a Situation. And when I'm in the middle of a Situation I can hardly think of anything but the Situation. Of course I pray about my Situation. But--I have to confess this--sometimes my prayer sounds more like worrying than prayer. So, in the wee hours last night when my Situation loomed large and kept me from sleep, I handed it over to Abba one last time, then switched channels.

I decided to intercede through the alphabet, asking the Holy Spirit to give me someone or something to pray about for each letter. Sometimes He gave me more than one prayer for each letter. Usually I prayed for family and friends, but when I got to H, it was Haiti He led me to pray for, and when I got to O, He urged me to pray for our President. I dozed off a few times, but each time I awoke and my mind raced toward the Situation, I pulled it back to where I'd left off in the alphabet.

When I finished that, I was still awake and tempted to go back to my Situation, so I started the alphabet over again, this time naming something about God that corresponded to each letter. I tried to use names and attributes that had personal meaning for me and rest in those qualities of who God is--for instance, my Deliverer, Glory, Healer, Lifter of my head, Protector, Provider, Shalom, and Vindicator.

As before, I dozed on and off, but each time I awoke, I'd pull myself back to where I'd left off and continue centering on God and worshiping Him.

Honestly, I didn't sleep much last night. But by handing my Situation over to Him and focusing on systematically worshiping Him and praying for others, I still got up this morning refreshed and much more at peace. And somehow, I suppose it shouldn't surprise me, the Situation isn't nearly so large this morning.

How about you? If you pray the night watch, would you tell the rest of us about it?

Posted by NavPress at 1/19/2010 9:26 AM

Thanks for the alphabet concept - I may be using it any night now! :)

I have night watch quite a bit, whether there is a "situation" or not. I'm quite ok with God waking me, as I seem to rush through my days without taking time to pray as I could. So - if He comes at night and wakens me, so be it! I take the names of those He reminds me of and I pray about the needs I'm aware of. As someone has said, "If you can't sleep, don't count sheep, but talk to the Shepherd."
Posted by: L. Willems at 1/19/2010 9:44 AM

I loved this post! I'm exactly the same way - when I have a "situation", I can't think about anything else. I love her suggestions about praying the alphabet. I intend to start using that method.
Posted by: Jessica at 1/21/2010 12:35 PM

I really appreciated hearing about this approach to putting situations to sleep. If the S in the alphabet is for Situation then it is put in proper perspective among all the other things we feel called to pray for. And S is a far way off from A in the alphabet and hopefully sleep has overtaken by that point.
Posted by: Janice at 1/21/2010 8:42 PM

I often use the alphabet method to go to sleep by quoting Bible verses corresponding with the letter of the alphabet. I have never thought about using it to pray for people. I love that idea. Strange that the idea had never come to my mind.
Posted by: Jewell Ann Joslen at 1/26/2010 12:59 PM

Just wanted you know I liked this post, have been thinking about it, and quoted and linked to you - http://tellingsecrets-mks.blogspot.com/2010/01/changing-channels-cynthia-bezak.html
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