Isaiah 62:6 I have posted watchmen on your walls, Jerusalem; they will never be silent day or night. You who call on the LORD, give yourselves no rest.
The ancient Biblical cities had massive wall structures, inner fortresses and strongholds with troops garrisoned around the fortified cities. These troops (watchmen) played a crucial role in the protection of the people within the walled cities. There were night and day watchmen. The night watchmen had sharp eyesight and hearing and they guarded the cities from dusk to dawn. It was only at night that the thieves, invaders and intruders encroached the cities.
Allegorically, watchmen are the prayer warriors who guard their families, finances, and fortress. There is no rest, break, or holiday to the discipline of prayer. The discipline of prayer advances us step by step in strength, vigour, and power. After ten days of regular prayer cycle, if we miss one day, we do not go back one step but will be pushed to the back of the line to start all over again!Intermittent rupture in a discipline pushes us to the back of the troop. Further, the burglar needs just one day, one chance or one weak moment to trespass into our territory. The demonic watchmen(demons) are like a hungry beast waiting for us to slack, sleep or droop to pounce on us. When the valley gets dark,watch and pray.
The role of a praying watchmen:
1. Wall: A watchman can only guard a fortified city. Similarly, there must be walls or boundaries around our life. We are placed as watchmen for our homes, families, and children. We are the praying warriors who set boundaries and build walls around our domain. It is the role of a praying watchmen to bring a wayward child back into the fortress of safety. Our constant prayer on the wall, will convert addicts to anointed prophets, masquerades into ministers and ruckus into reverential worshipers. Be the watchman and the prayer warriors on the walls of your homes, jobs, finances, and family.
2. Window:The city walls had windows that were built in watchtowers. As the eyes, ears and mind are the gates to the soul, television, internet, mobile, magazine and other social media are the windows through which godlessness creeps into our homes. As the watchmen vigilantly guarded the “windows”, our prayers are virtual watchtowers on the windows that bring worldliness, compromise and secular worldviews into our sphere. Watch over what and whom your family entertain themselves with. “Watching over” the family does not mean intruding into the privacy but praying to keep cheap pleasures that steal unity, purity, and sanity, out of your home.
3. Wisdom:Finally,be wise watchmen. There are a lot of prayers that are made however, only prayers in the spirit, truth and understanding are heard. Repetitive prayers are only legalistic, routine, mundane tradition. Only the prayer of the righteous is taken up to Heaven in a golden bowl. Revelation 5:8b Each one(Angel) had a harp, and they held gold bowls filled with incense, which are the prayers of God’s people.We can never make effective prayers to fortify our families without the help of the Holy Spirit. Call upon Him, ask Him for words of wisdom, seek His guidance and pray effectual prayers.
You are the watchman over your life. Worship as you wake up, work, wait and walk. Watch and pray.
Matthew 26:41a Keep watching and praying.
Prayer: Dear Jesus, teach me to pray vigilantly, wisely and veraciously. Amen
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