The watchman

The sunrise after having been on watch all night

I remember the first time I read Psalm 130:6.
It was in the winter of 2011, and I was in boot camp. Still a teenager, I was learning how to properly "stand the watch". In Coast Guard boot camp "standing a taut watch" is a big deal. Our instructors drilled into us the importance of being vigilant while on watch, and how to provide proper military protection. Being a part of the Coast GUARD we were being trained to become America's guardians and protectors. That night I was simply tasked with guarding  an entryway. A fairly simple task, but after a day of stress from company commanders (drill instructors), PT (physical training), classes and general chaos, the last thing you want to do is make rounds and guard a doorway for hours.
It was late at night, and everyone was asleep. So before I relieved the off-going sentry I snuck my pocket Bible into the breast pocket of my uniform. I properly relieved the watch and took my place behind the wooden podium facing the doorway. Making sure no-one was coming, I flipped open my Bible to the Psalms and read the following verse:

"My soul waits for the Lord more than watchmen for the morning, more than watchmen for the morning." Psalm 130:6.

I remember being so struck by that verse. I underlined it right there on the podium, thanking the Lord for His encouragement to me on that cold, tired night.

Yesterday morning I was standing watch yet again. But instead of standing behind a wooden podium I was standing on the bridge of a ship, and instead of armed with a flashlight I was armed with a rifle. But I was still just as tired as I had been in boot camp, having been up all night. And as the sun rose over the ocean I was reminded of that same verse i had read years before.
I'm in a period of transition as I leave the military and enter back into civilian life, and right now there is a lot of waiting going on. Waiting for paperwork to be processed, waiting for people to be notified, waiting to know where I will be going, etc.
I pray that I will continue to rest in the Lord as I wait, not to be anxious, but in everything to give thanks.