11:00pm Third Shift

Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his power.  Put on the whole armor of God.  Ephesians 6:10-11a

As I turn off my lamp and pull the covers over me, I am fully aware there are others in the city just beginning their work day, this hour.  It is a shift I have worked once in my life as a cashier in a grocery store.  It is a shift that requires you to be awake, alert, active during the hours most others are at home with their families and may be enjoying rest.

As I hold my pillow close, I especially think of the mothers in this city who have left children behind this hour of the night; children taken to twenty-four childcare centers, children at home with an older brother or sister, children at their grandmother’s house, children home alone with instructions and phone numbers and distant prayers.  These mothers are doing what is necessary to provide lunchbox snacks and back-to-school shoes; doing what they must do to stay off government assistance and to keep the lights on. 

With my bedroom door open, I can hear one of my children snoring and another talking in his sleep, demanding that some pre-school friend give him back the toy.  If one of them has a bad dream, I am here to comfort and soothe.  If another awakens, remembering a homework assignment that is unfinished, I will reassure them I will wake them up an hour early.  A noise outside?  A mother inside.  This hour, some things simply should not be taken from granted.

Protect the mothers and fathers who are working this hour to support their families. Watch over their children, Mother and Father God.  Dismiss their bad dreams and calm the goings-on in their neighborhoods.  Surround them with your love.  Grant them peace that they may sleep through this night and find rest.

This Hour’s Ponderings

1.  Who in your life needs protection?

2.  How does God’s reassuring voice speak through you?

3.  What does it mean for you to feel safe?

4.  How is God speaking to you this hour of this day?