As Christians, we are concerned with our walk before the Lord; how to serve, please, and obey Him. We spend time in prayer not only for ourselves, but for our families, friends, and others. Most of us pray for our own local church and for the Body of Christ as a whole. We generally conclude with prayer for the peace of Jerusalem, as Jesus instructed, and an overall prayer for our neighborhoods, cities, and the world. All this is good.

Watchmen are mentioned several times in the Old Testament. They were men who stood guard day and night, positioned in towers outside the walls of the city. Their job was to blow the trumpets to alert the people when an enemy approached. Failure to do so meant death for all.

God commissioned Ezekiel to be the spiritual watchman over Israel. I believe that, as Christians, we have that same commission. We are the watchmen over our nation.

Unfortunately, enemies that should have been spotted from the tower have slipped into our society. Prayer was cast out of our public schools. After that, all manner of evil marched in on the wake. We now lead the world in teenage suicide. Family abuse, teen pregnancy, drugs, alcohol, divorce, incest, and abortion are running rampant in the land. The Children of the "Flower Children" were raised without Biblical principals in the name of personal freedom. Now we are reaping the harvest of that folly.

On the political scene, our country, which once held up the standard of righteousness before the world, has turned our back on freedom-seeking people, in order to gain favor with Godless nations. America is on the verge of handing over our long held reins of world leadership to those who are secretly working to destroy us. Sad mistake. Those on the tower are warning us that this is Satan at work, setting the stage to bring in the one-world government.

The watchmen are blowing their trumpets. The enemy is mounting his attack against the Church. Whatever the outcome, we must remember that the world judges Christians by what is permitted in the predominant denominations of our land. After the watchmen sound the alarm, it is up to the people to take their position on the wall, and aim the weapon of prayer at the invading foe.

It is not too late. We still have time to pray. We can, through prayer, reverse the "Abortion on Demand" law. This used to be a back-alley sin that only the individuals involved were accountable for. But when such an act is sanctioned by a government, then God must judge the entire nation. God promised that if a nation would humble itself and pray, He would show mercy. Like Isaiah, we can stand in the gap, confess the sin of our nation, and pray that God will heal our land.

We cannot change Bible prophecy, but we can hold back judgments, as in the case of Nineveh. We can gain a little more time for the Church to gather the harvest.

Prayer is our most powerful weapon against Satan. That is why he fights it so hard. He has tried to convince us that what will be will be, and it is of little use to pray. HE LIES. The Word of God tells us that the prayers of a righteous man (or woman) avail MUCH.

The ministry of prayer is not one of glamor or prestige: no one sees your work. Most Christians express the desire to serve as pastors, teachers, or missionaries. I've never heard any say they wish to be an intercessory prayer warrior. Yet if you would ask any pastor, teacher, or missionary, they would tell you that their ministry is greatly helped by their prayer partners. In fact, I would go so far as to say that NO work of God is accomplished on this earth without a firm foundation of prayer. Someone, somewhere has prayed for you. If they prayed in the Spirit, they didn't even have to know you to intercede on your behalf, or for your ministry. The hordes of Hell have been held back because one person prayed.

Jesus knew we would be tempted to fall asleep. He instructed us as watchmen and intercessors to watch and pray.

In conclusion, I want to challenge everyone who reads this to pray 15 minutes a day. Pray for our church (if we all were consistent, we would have to add on to the church house), our city, our nation, and the world leaders. Pray for workers to harvest these end-time souls. Pray for this lost generation of kids, for only God can rescue them.

For those of you who have known for a long time that this is your special ministry, I would say: intercessors, this is your hour, like none other you've seen before. It is time to come into the fullness of your ministry. It is time to fall to your knees and do battle for our nation. The Bride of Christ moves through this world as one huge body of believers, fitly joined together, each doing our part to usher in the Kingdom of God.

So, "Watchman, what of the night?"

"All is well, Lord. We are awake and we are praying!"

-- Rev. C. L. Moser
© 1991, Homeplace Mission Ministries
Updated June 2002