“….and her lamp does not go out at night.” Proverbs 31:18
The lamp of the Proverbs 31 Woman does not go out at night. She is ready to do what is hers to do at night as well as in the day. She keeps her light on at night, ready to meet any need whether it’s her sick or scared child, or a tired lonely traveler, or to get up in the wee early hours to pray and read the Word of God.
On a more personal level: There was a day when I wouldn’t give up sleep for anything or anybody. As a young person I would party till wee hours in the morning and sleep in till noon on days off from work. This was after I moved out of my mother’s home of course. In my opinion, there was nothing worth getting up for early in the morning; nothing worth rolling out of bed for in the middle of the night. Nothing I knew about then, that is.
After we started having children I started getting up in the night and early in the morning even before my husband – to be alone with the Lord. I still get up when it’s dark to be alone with the Lord even though there are no children at home.
God’s intimate early morning fellowship is our best source of strength and encouragement for all the day’s productivity and trials. I’ve learned this full well because I’ve seen the difference when I do NOT put Him first in the morning and when I do. God’s input is what we need each morning before we are bombarded by all the other voices with their demands on us.
Does your heart yearn for the Lord’s words and touch? When we are disciplined about meeting with the Lord first thing in the morning we find that we can get a whole lot done with very little effort because we have first honored God desiring His fellowship. Be careful not to replace TRUE fellowship with the Lord each morning – with ‘going to church’ and serving there.
NOTE: The organizations of what we call “church” (at least here in America) is fading away and all that will be left on earth, as we approach the Day of the Lord, is to live as the Lord’s persecuted disciples lived at the start of Christ’s church. Most Christians in this world already live this way, but it will soon be the whole world of Christ’s disciples living the way the first church live that we read about in the book of Acts. Jesus warns us that the devil will enter a man and this counterfeit Messiah will rule ‘the whole world’ from Jerusalem. God’s people need to be ready and prepared according to how the Holy Spirit is showing each of us.
If you find it hard to wake up in the morning then go to bed earlier, get off the computer and off your iphone; turn off whatever is keeping your mind on things of this world. Lie down and talk to the Lord and thank Him. There’s so much to thank Him for even in the worst of times. Give Him all your day’s concerns and troubles. Remember His words, and He will give you rest.
I ask you: What good is sleep when the heart’s awake? Do you wake up in the night unable to sleep? Then get up and get with the Lord! Don’t worry about making it through the day on little sleep. You need Him more. He’ll carry you through the day so that you get everything done that needed to get done, and what didn’t need to be done – won’t make a difference.
Reminder: The people that gathered to Jesus to hear Him and be near Him were filled by Him; they didn’t notice how hungry or tired they were.
The woman who depends on the Lord each morning for His words and touch will never run out of strength to do what is still hers to do in the night.
I keep night-lights on at night when I keep our grandchildren with us. You never know when a scared little child will try to find you, or when you need to hurry to another room to help one of them with something, or to check on them to make sure they are covered in the night.
We need to keep our lamp on with all the oil we will need as we live in the darkest of times – on our way to see our Bridegroom. (Matthew 25) We can read in the Bible (our lamp) what Jesus and the prophets said about the end times. We need Holy Spirit (the oil) to know when it’s time to prepare in practical ways for what God’s Word tells us is coming. God is practical. God prepares ahead for those living in far worse times. We need to be wise with godly wisdom because Jesus says,
“I still have much to tell you, but you cannot yet bear to hear it. However, when the Spirit of truth comes, He will guide you into all truth. For He will not speak on His own, but He will speak what He hears, and He will declare to you what is come. He will glorify Me by taking from what is Mine and disclosing it to you.” John 16:12-14
As we continue to wait on the Lord for His return to reign we will want to keep our light on at night so that we are ready to meet any need, face any threat, or pray for anybody the Lord places on our heart; to simply be ready for whatever might happen because the days are rapidly increasing with evil.