Be Still Devotional: Day 35

Devotion for Friday March 28
Aaron Senseman | Bellaire Worship Pastor

This is the final entry in our "Be Still" Devotional series.

Scripture
Psalm 130:5-6
I wait for the LORD, my soul waits, and in his word I hope; my soul waits for the Lord more than watchmen for the morning, more than watchmen for the morning.

Devotional Thought
I recently underwent a liver transplant. It has been quite a journey with much waiting built in, from the testing to my diagnosis, to the monitoring of that disease’s process—waiting over twenty years until my doctor ultimately said, “It’s time.”

Next came the search for a donor, setting the surgery date, the surgery itself, waiting to wake, waiting to stand, waiting to walk, to go home, to recover, to drive, to go back to work . . . and still we wait. There will be more testing, frequent monitoring for at least the next year, watching to make sure healing continues and rejection is kept at bay.

We wait.

We wait.

And we hope. As much as there has been darkness, there have been mornings.

The watchman is an apt analogy here. While watchmen certainly do wait, it is an active waiting. They are still but not idle. They possess a sober readiness, tuning all of their senses against the darkness. Why might the Psalmist find such a kinship with the watchmen? And why would a watchman wait so eagerly for the morning? Well, they’re tired. They’re vulnerable, exposed, perhaps injured, away from home, forgotten. We all feel this way at times.

Let us consider that, like the watchman in his duties, our lives are a series of mornings. We may encounter many bleak nights—but eventually the day breaks. God's promise for us is the end of striving, of hardship, of cold darkness, of uncertainty. Ultimately, it is the end of waiting and the fulfillment of all our hope in Christ.

Reflection Questions

• What are you waiting on?
• Are you waiting actively or idly?

Suggested prayer/action step
If there is difficulty in your life, reflect on past times that God has brought you through. Take a moment to remember that God is with you, and the morning is coming. If you aren’t currently experiencing a major difficulty, pray for someone you know who is in waiting. Reach out to them. A word of encouragement from you could pierce the darkness.