In the night watches
I will watch over you;
I will neither slumber, nor sleep.
I’ll take the first watch;
you take the second, my friend.
And in the morning … oh, in the morning,
still I will be watching—always waiting.
Even as the One who does not slumber nor sleep,
I will watch over you;
I will keep watch.
Rest. Breathe. Know that you are loved.
You are seen
in your innermost parts,
just as you are;
every hair on your head counted.
Loved as you are,
deeply,
in the ocean depth of your being,
revealed.
How deep is this love that washes over me.
How wide.
A love that crosses over, that spans heaven and Earth.
A love that reaches through the fog, that dispels the darkness, that casts down every fear.
A love that is truth. Light. That lifts you above these momentary light afflictions.
Be still my soul.
Wait for love.
Drink deeply from the cup that satisfies every longing. That quenches every thirst.
Be still. Be still and know.
With every breath, with every step, in every moment—loved.
Wait for it. Even as the One who has braved the deepest ocean depths and the darkest night to bring it to you.
The One who keeps watch … who never sleeps.
Listen for his voice. It comes in a whisper, as the wind so gently moves through the trees, as they sway under its intangible presence.
Listen. It is the voice of love … soft, sometimes thundering like the voice of rushing water … the voice that drowns out all other voices.
Deep. Calling out to deep. His voice.
You are loved as you are, where you are.
That is the voice you need to hear in the night watches.
“Deep calls to deep in the roar of your waterfalls;
all your waves and breakers
have swept over me” (Psalm 42:7, NIV).
— Josephine Holmes
