“What I say to you, I say to everyone: Watch!” – Mark 13:37

One morning, a night guard excitedly told his boss about a great dream that he had about him the previous night.

The boss fired him immediately.

“I hired you to guard my home not to sleep,” he told him.

I have a lot of respect for security guards.

It’s an extremely important but difficult job, so I try my best to make things easier for those guys wherever I find them.

While we sleep, they keep awake to ensure that our premises and families remain safe.

Did you know that ‘keeping watch’ is a military term?

In ancient times when there was no surveillance technology or alarms, large cities and important installations used to have high towers on which watchmen would stand day and night to watch out for any coming dangers and communicate to the authorities if they saw anything suspicious.

Indeed, the Israelites and Romans divided the night into ‘watches’ (what we call shifts today).

I mean it was so important for the watchmen/guards to remain alert and awake all the time that a fresh team would come for new shift every three or four hours.

Should there be a security breach during your shift and it takes you unawares or a prisoner escapes under your watch, you would be in big trouble; including being executed.

“Be alert, be on your watch! Your enemy, the devil, is on the prowl looking for someone to devour”

1 PETER 5:8

The Greek word for ‘watch’ gave us our English word ‘custody.’

‘Custody’ means a state of being watched over or being guarded.

That means that ‘watching’ denotes being awake; being on guard; being vigilant; being alert; being sober-minded.

In our meditation today, we reflect on the words of Jesus to His disciples in regard to the end times.

“Watch and pray so that you will not fall into temptation. The spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak” (Matthew 26:41).

In these perilous days, we are admonished to keep our soul and body ‘in safe custody’ – to be spiritually awake, to watch and be sober; basically to be vigilant and never to let our guard down at any time.

In particular, the Bible warns us to keep guard and to watch over certain things: Watch your attitude; watch your motives; watch your steps; watch your conduct, and watch your words.

“Be alert, be on your watch! Your enemy, the devil, is on the prowl looking for someone to devour” (1 Peter 5:8).

Prayer:

Almighty God, help me to always be prayerful, alert and spiritually awake. I declare that the prowling enemy’s attacks will never take me unawares because all my spiritual senses will always be on the alert. For the glory of your Name, Lord, Amen!