Armed Forces Sunday

Seventh Sunday of Easter

Psalm 63:6-7

May 23, 2004

“Through the Watches of the Night”

ESV Psalm 63 “On my bed I remember You, I think of You through the watches of the night. Because You are my help, I sing in the shadow of Your wings.”

Introduction: How well will you sleep tonight? How well will your loved ones sleep tonight? It all depends on the shadow that covers us and it depends on the shadow that covers them.

The old slogan goes, You can sleep tonight, your National Guard is awake”, raises the question – but when do the soldiers sleep? If there would be one gift every service member would like to receive, it would probably be the gift of a good night’s sleep. Those deployed away from home and family, especially those serving in combat areas, often spend nights in fitful sleep. Wouldn’t it be wonderful if we could send them a care package containing a good nights sleep?

Similarly, although it would be nice if all of us could sleep peacefully because the National Guard is awake, frankly, that is not the reality. At one time or another, more often thatn we would like to admit, all of us have experiences sleeplessness, insomnia and sleep deprevation. For what ever reason, ultimately, the problem and reason for our restlessness is that we walk in the very shadow of the valley of death. No one can rest under the shadow of death.

I. NO ONE CAN REST UNDER THE SHADOW OF DEATH

“Through the watches of the night”, we are like soldiers in a combat zone. Even when we are not on “guard duty.” Sleep is often elusive and hard to find. Like the Egyptians under the plague of darkness, we often grope in the shadow of sin, guilt and fear of death and final judgment. Isaiah writes, “For behold, darkness shall cover the earth, and thick darkness the peoples; but the LORD will arise upon you, and his glory will be seen upon you.” And, “Therefore justice is far from us, and righteousness does not overtake us; we hope for light, and behold, darkness, and for brightness, but we walk in shadows.”

In 1999, Air Force Brigadier General Mark Welsh, III, shared his combat experiences from “Desert Storm” in an address to Air Force Academy Cadets. On the night before they flew their first mission, each member of the wing was asked to write a letter to his loved ones – a letter that could be mailed in case they did not return. He reflected on that experience with these words: “Now, if you haven’t had the pleasure of sitting down and thinking about your family the night before you think you might die; if you haven’t tried to tell your children that your sorry you won’t be there to see their next ballet recital or watch them play little league baseball, or high school football, or graduate from college, or meet their spouse, or get to know your grandkids; or if you haven’t had the pleasure of telling your parents and brothers and sisters what they mean to you; or tried to tell your wife how the sun rises and sets in her eyes; and tried to do it all on a piece of paper, at midnight, 9,000 miles away from home, then you haven’t lived.”

This is the life of the soldier and in many ways it is our life too. This is life underneath the shadow of death. It is life under the shadow of guilt, as Job wrote, “Amid thoughts from visions of the night, when deep sleep falls on men, fear and trembling seized me and made my bones shake.” This is life under the shadow of overwhelming despair as the Psalmist prays, “For I eat ashes like bread and mingle tears with my drink, because of your indignation and anger; for you have taken me up and thrown me down. My days are like an evening shadow; I wither away like grass.” This is life under the shadow of hopelessness as Isaiah reflects, “Therefore justice is far from us, and righteousness does not overtake us; we hope for light, and behold, darkness, and for brightness, but we walk in gloom.” The shadows of guilt, despair, hopelessness and death hover over us because of sin, in the world and in our lives.

II. A LIGHT HAS COME TO DISPEL DEATH’S SHADOW

Jesus Christ is the “Light of the world.” He entered our darkness to dispel it with His glorious light. Anton Myrer in Once an Eagle, gives this poignant description of the significance of a single soldier in battle: “There, in that outpost, on that three-square-feet of ground, was where the real war was being fought, no matter who denied it; and how that private did fight – whether he had the hardihood and the craft to resist exhaustion, and debility and slumber and kill the weary, sick, resourceful enemy who sought his life – would decide who would win this war, and nothing else.” That lonely soldier image imperfectly fits our Savior in the darkness of Gethsemane and the three hours of darkness on the cross. In A Mighty Fortress we sing, “But for us fights the valiant One, Whom God Himself elected.”

Jesus Christ came to rescue us from the shadow of darkness, As the apostle Paul writes, “He has delivered us from the domain of darkness and transferred us to the kingdom of his beloved Son, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins. Christ came to lead us out of darkness as He Himself spoke, “I have come into the world as light, so that whoever believes in me may not remain in darkness.” Christ came to bring His light to all people, “Jesus spoke to them, saying, "I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.”

III. WE CAN ALL REST SECURELY UNDER THE SHADOW OF HIS WINGS

The Bile often describes our Lord in the image of a great bird that shelters her young under her wings. Likewise, God’s love gently enfolds us against the darkness of this world. Each night, as we lie down to sleep, the Psalmist reminds us to meditate on that comforting image: On my bed I remember you , and I think of You through the watches of the night for you have been my help, and in the shadow of your wings I will sing for joy.”

His loving care is your shield, “He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High will rest in the shadow of the Almighty.” His loving care is a soldier’s shield. “He will cover you with his feathers, and under his wings you will find refuge; his faithfulness will be your shield and rampart. You will not fear the terror of night, nor the arrow that flies by day.” We are called to share that shield, As St Paul writes, “But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light.

Through your personal contacts with service members, and especially through our church’s Ministry to the Armed Forces, you can share your good night’s rest in Christ with thousands of those in uniform. You can help sustain them in their darkness by pointing them to the true “armor of light.” For “The night is nearly over; the day is almost here. So let us put aside the deeds of darkness and put on the armor of light.” This armor of light is put on through faith in Jesus Christ as our only Savior from sin and the darkness of the shadow of death.

General Stonewall Jackson said, “My religious convictions teach me to feel as safe in battle as if I were safe asleep in my bed. The time of my death is fixed. I do not concern myself about that, but to be always ready no matter when it may overtake me. That is the way all men should live, and then they would be equally brave.”

“On my bed I remember You, I think of You through the watches of the night. Because You are my help, I sing in the shadow of Your wings.” Amen