Servants of the Night 夜间守望者

[Dexu Xia]

May the Lord bless you from Zion.  Psalm 134:3

It’s 3 a.m. at an acute-care hospital. A worried patient presses the call button for the fourth time in an hour. The night-shift nurse answers without complaint. Soon another patient is screaming, crying for attention. The nurse isn’t surprised. She requested the night shift five years ago to avoid her hospital’s daytime frenzy. Then the reality hit. Night work often meant taking on extra tasks, such as lifting and turning patients by herself. It also meant closely monitoring patients’ conditions so physicians could be notified in emergencies.

Buoyed by close friendships with her nighttime co-workers, this nurse still struggles to get adequate sleep. Often, she asks her church for prayer, seeing her work as vital. “Praise God, their prayers make a difference.”

Her praise is good and right for a night worker—as well as for all of us. The psalmist wrote, “Praise the Lord, all you servants of the Lord, who minister by night in the house of the Lord. Lift up your hands in the sanctuary and praise the Lord” (Psalm 134:1–2).

This psalm, written for the Levites who served as temple watchmen, acknowledged their vital work—protecting the temple by day and night. In our nonstop world, it feels proper to share this psalm especially for nighttime workers, yet every one of us can praise God in the night. As the psalm adds, “May the Lord bless you from Zion, he who is the Maker of heaven and earth” (v. 3).

When you consider nighttime workers—nurses, janitors, first responders, and others—what prayers on their behalf can you offer to God? Why would praising God lead to a blessing from Him for nighttime workers?

Dear God, in the early morning hours while I safely sleep, send Your blessings to nighttime workers doing vital work in my community. And help me to praise You in the night.

 愿造天地的耶和华，从锡安赐福给你们。—诗篇134篇3节

凌晨三点钟，在一间急症医院里，一名焦虑不安的病人在一小时内四度按下紧急呼叫按钮。夜班的护士耐心应对，毫无怨言。没多久，另一名病人开始哭闹尖叫，想要引起关注。这位护士早就习以为常。五年前，她要求上夜班，想避开白天忙乱的尖峰时段。但后来她才发现，夜班通常要承担更多的工作，比如要独自抬起病人或协助病人翻身，而且还得密切注意病人的情况，好在紧急时能立即通知医生。

虽然有其他夜班同事的支持，她还是无法享有充足的睡眠。她看重自己的工作，经常请教会为她祷告，她说：“赞美上帝，有了他们的代祷，的确有所不同！”

对夜间工作者而言，她这样赞美上帝是正确且美好的，对我们而言也是如此。诗人写道：“耶和华的仆人，夜间站在耶和华殿中的，你们当称颂耶和华！你们当向圣所举手，称颂耶和华！”（诗篇134篇1-2节）

诗篇134篇是为了守望圣殿的利未人所写的一首诗，感谢他们昼夜看守圣殿，肩负重责大任。在这日夜忙碌不休的世界里，这首诗特别合适与人分享，尤其是那些夜间工作者。然而，我们每个人也都能在夜间赞美上帝，正如第3节说：“愿造天地的耶和华，从锡安赐福给你们。”

想到夜间工作者（护士、管理员、应急人员），
你会如何为他们祷告？
为何赞美上帝能使他们得到上帝的祝福？

上帝，当我在清晨仍然安睡时，
求祢赐福那些在我的社区里身负重任的
夜间工作者。求祢帮助我能在夜间赞美祢。