The Fourth Watch

Last week a friend let me borrow a wonderful talk on cd - by Michael Wilcox called "The Fourth Watch: Receiving Divine Help When Your Prayers Seem Unanswered". Isn't that a great title!? When I heard it I thought "Yep! That is exactly what I need, cause that's how I'm kinda feeling right now!"

So, the Hebrew Day was divided into 12 hours. The Hebrew Night was divided into four "watches".

In this talk, Bro. Wilcox gives several examples of how God is a "Fourth Watch" God - he prefers to wait.. and to let us struggle... and toil... and work... for as long as possible into the darkness. Through the first watch, into the second watch, into the third watch... then finally in the fourth watch, he comes.

An example in Mark 6, after feeding the five thousand, we read starting in verse 45:

45 And straightway he constrained his disciples to get into the ship, and to go to the other side before unto Bethsaida, while he sent away the people.

 46 And when he had sent them away, he departed into a mountain to pray.

 47 And when even was come, the ship was in the midst of the sea, and he alone on the land.

 48 And he saw them toiling in rowing; for the wind was contrary unto them: and about the fourth watch of the night he cometh unto them, walking upon the sea...

 51 And he went up unto them into the ship; and the wind ceased: and they were sore amazed in themselves beyond measure, and wondered.

When even was come, so at the beginning of the 1st watch, they were in the sea working against the wind, and he could see them from the hillside, but didn't come to them until the 4th watch. It's often when we're exhausted and spent all our strength that he comes.

A few more examples of this: Hagar in Genesis 21:14-19 -

 14 And Abraham rose up early in the morning, and took bread, and a bottle of water, and gave it unto Hagar, putting it on her shoulder, and the child, and sent her away: and she departed, and wandered in the wilderness of Beer-sheba.

 15 And the water was spent in the bottle, and she cast the child under one of the shrubs.

 16 And she went, and sat her down over against him a good way off, as it were a bowshot: for she said, Let me not see the death of the child. And she sat over against him, and lift up her voice, and wept.

 17 And God heard the voice of the lad; and the angel of God called to Hagar out of heaven, and said unto her, What aileth thee, Hagar? fear not; for God hath heard the voice of the lad where he is.

 18 Arise, lift up the lad, and hold him in thine hand; for I will make him a great nation.

 19 And God opened her eyes, and she saw a well of water; and she went, and filled the bottle with water, and gave the lad drink.

God comes when the water is spent in the bottle. When we're ready to give up and see our loved ones die, that's when he shows the new source of nourishment to us. Another example, the widow of Zarephath in 1 Kings 17:8-16 -

10 So he arose and went to Zarephath. And when he came to the gate of the city, behold, the widow woman was there gathering of sticks: and he called to her, and said, Fetch me, I pray thee, a little water in a vessel, that I may drink.

 11 And as she was going to fetch it, he called to her, and said, Bring me, I pray thee, a morsel of bread in thine hand.

 12 And she said, As the Lord thy God liveth, I have not a cake, but an handful of meal in a barrel, and a little oil in a cruse: and, behold, I am gathering two sticks, that I may go in and dress it for me and my son, that we may eat it, and die.

 13 And Elijah said unto her, Fear not; go and do as thou hast said: but make me thereof a little cake first, and bring it unto me, and after make for thee and for thy son.

 14 For thus saith the Lord God of Israel, The barrel of meal shall not waste, neither shall the cruse of oil fail, until the day that theLord sendeth rain upon the earth.

 15 And she went and did according to the saying of Elijah: and she, and he, and her house, did eat many days.

When we're preparing our last meal, that's when he comes. One last example: Joseph Smith History 1:15-16 -

 15 After I had retired to the place where I had previously designed to go, having looked around me, and finding myself alone, I kneeled down and began to offer up the desires of my heart to God. I had scarcely done so, when immediately I was seized upon by some power which entirely overcame me, and had such an astonishing influence over me as to bind my tongue so that I could not speak. Thick darkness gathered around me, and it seemed to me for a time as if I were doomed to sudden destruction.

 16 But, exerting all my powers to call upon God to deliver me out of the power of this enemy which had seized upon me, and at the very moment when I was ready to sink into despair and abandon myself to destruction—not to an imaginary ruin, but to the power of some actual being from the unseen world, who had such marvelous power as I had never before felt in any being—just at this moment of great alarm, I saw a pillar of light...

The Lord tends to come at the moment of great alarm, when we're ready to abandon ourselves to despair. He does hear our cries. He does care. He is watching us from the hillside, and he knows, and he will come and calm the storm, provide for us, and deliver us.