Welcome to the Watch

Ah, there you are. The new watchman on our wall! Welcome to the watch. It’s a great time to be called to join the watch. You’ve probably heard of the battles fought along these walls. Yes, they can be fierce. Perhaps you’ve seen a few of those who served before you fall in those battles, or some retire as they’ve fulfilled their duty and finished their course. They leave big shoes to fill. You’ve surely got a big job ahead, and an important one too.

See the sun setting out there over the wall? The darkness brings the enemy. He and his army never rest, looking for a weakness, a crack, or an unwatched gate to crawl through and kill, steal, and destroy. He will never be able to fully invade, he knows this, I think. Yet, he is diligent in his seeking. Diligent in his battle roar, looking for anyone who would be lured out to be ensnared by him and his.

Of course, I don’t need to tell you who we serve under. His name is written in the very foundation that we stand upon. He has never lost a battle, never failed to fulfill what he sets out to do. His Word is unerring truth that we trust with our very lives and those of our families too. When he steps to battle, his radiance lights up the night as if the sun itself had risen again and we push forward gaining ground. The enemy despises us.

Why does the enemy hate us so?

Well, I would have thought you’d know that, but of course, he hates us because we have what he once had. Oh, yes, he was also servant to HIM once. With all the favor like we carry. But his arrogance and pride caused him to pick a battle he could not and still cannot win. He was cast out long ago and has been diligent in his evil work ever since.

The end?

Well, honestly, I can’t tell you when it ALL ends. No man knows. We know that HE will step out from his glory and end it all when HE chooses. No man knows the day or the hour. Until then, we watch as watchmen on the wall.

What should you do?

Follow the guide book! Ours is an important role. Do you see the lights in those houses there inside the city? Each of those holds a person or family. Each of them deals with the propaganda launched over these walls into their homes, the torment from the enemy’s agents who sneak into the city, and even their own fears and daily lives. Your job is to do everything you can to keep them safe. Keep them alive.

How? How indeed. Well that is the question isn’t it. Well, the guide book helps us guide them through situations they face. It teaches us what to be alert for, what behaviors are dangerous to themselves or others around them. It tells us how to intervene when they’re in trouble, and when we shouldn’t. Our responsibility is to put the cry out when the enemy is attacking the fields so they come into the safety of the walls or when an enemy agent lurks inside the city, we alert them to beware.

Well, no, we can’t force the people to do anything. We warn them. If we don’t warn them of the things that the righteous one gave to us, then He will require US to pay the cost of their destruction. However, should they choose not to listen, then they will own their decision and its consequences.

Yes. I have unfortunately watched many citizens ignore the warning call and be killed. No, it doesn’t get easier. If anything, it gets harder. My mentor on the wall instilled in me to ensure I stick to the book so that I couldn’t be called up on any charges before HIM. People don’t always like that, but I determined that I would be blameless before HIM many years ago. How could I stand here with the view to send the call yet simply watch a family, or couple, or even a single person be destroyed and NOT say anything? Despite them not wanting to hear it, I couldn’t stand before HIM when he appears at the end and experience the moment where my failure was heaped back upon me. No it’s not always nice and easy, but it IS always necessary. You’ll see their triumphs and sadness. You’ll be there for much of it, and be cut out from much. Sometimes, those you grow closest to will be the ones that eventually quit listening, or don’t heed a warning, but in the end, the work is so important that many will be saved, and so it’s worth the pain.

Prepare? Well, the best advice I can give you on that front was what was given to me. Sharpen your sword. Learn to use it. Use every passing moment to refine your knowledge of that book. Steel yourself for rejection, but console yourself with the fact that HE is pleased that we DO NOT let down our guard. Of course you can speak with HIM. How humbling is it that the author of the guide book is our commander and you can speak with HIM? I’ve spent many nights on the wall talking with HIM because not everything is easy to understand. HE’s so patient and understanding and kind. Somehow, even though HE has so many people to work with and demanding things of HIM, HE can spend hours with me, listening to me, and nudging me with simple passages from the book to let me know I’m either guiding the people I watch over well, or how I can do better.

No, it IS impossible to do this without HIM. However, if you give heart, body, and soul to this, HE won’t ever leave you or forsake you.

Ah, there, hear that roar? The enemy is on the move once again. So, welcome to the watch, watchman. Get your weapon ready for who knows what the morrow will bring.