The concept and practice of “watches in the night,” as sung by David in the Psalms, is one that feels far removed from our daily lives and culture:
“So, I have looked upon you in the sanctuary, beholding your power and glory. Because your steadfast love is better than life, my (joyful) lips will praise you … My soul will be satisfied as with fat and rich food, and my mouth will praise you with joyful lips, when I meditate on you in the watches of the night; for you have been my help, and in the shadow of your wings I will sing for joy. My soul clings to you; your right hand upholds me.”1 ~ Psalm 63:2-3, 5-6, 8
In our modern age in North America, we no longer need guardsmen on city walls to stay vigilant through the night in protection of our village or settlement. Without an auditory cue, perhaps a trumpet or bell sounding, to signal the changing of guards … and a call to prayer and meditation in the night: What might this look like for us to meditate in the shadow of God’s wing and cling to Him through the night?
For many around the world living in conflict zones – Yemen, Sudan, Iraq, Iran, Gaza, Syria, to name a few from today’s headlines – unorganized watches in the middle of the night may be more routine and certainly more urgent. Ongoing global conflict has displaced over 70 million people internally, with an additional more than 43 million living as refugees. A woman who lives in Ukraine, a friend of one of our Alliance workers, speaks to this meditation in the night and seeking God’s upholding right hand, as she writes:
“Imagine sitting in the hallway, counting explosions, checking for warnings, and trying to guess whether the announced missile will hit or be destroyed before it comes close. Yet at the same time, you try to guess the aftermath – will we have heat, water, and electricity?”
Over the past four years since the war in the Ukraine began, the Global Emergency Relief Fund has assisted local Alliance churches and partners in providing emergency relief to Ukraine crisis. From 2022 to 2025, delivering over 100 humanitarian conveys into Ukraine with emergency rations and supplies: food baskets, hygienic supplies, clothing, diapers, infant formula, “tin can” paraffin candles (over 100,000 for heat and light!) and also generators to those suffering the ravages of war.
A documentary of the supply convoy project was produced in 2025 and can be viewed here: https://cityonahilldocumentary.com/
As the war persists … marking Day 1443 today … it is no longer feasible for a large convoy to reach these areas close to the frontline as done in April 2024; but smaller convoys and vans continue to provide supplies through local churches in Ukraine for distribution. As the war continues and the flow of refugees has abated, most Non-Government Organizations have pulled back; however, the fighting is not over yet and The Alliance Canada continues to support its Polish and Ukrainian partners and churches who are assisting those displaced from the front lines. Official data indicates that approximately 1.55 million Ukrainians are currently in Poland, including about 1 million with long-term refugee status.
Through the work of our partner organizations, in 2025:
• 38,000 refugee families were supplied with food baskets
• 250 tons of food distributed
• shipments of folding beds, mattresses, and bedding were distributed
• 4,200 sets of high-quality thermal clothing distributed for the winter
Our partners also address the spiritual and psychosocial needs of those living in the reality of displacement and war:
• 30 summer camps reaching over 1000 youth and children – becoming spiritual times of unity where they feel God’s care, find hope, and discover joy in Christ
• 180 youth attended a four-day festival filled with praise, sermons, seminars on PTSD and spiritual growth. On the last evening, 60 young people were supported in prayer and gave their lives to God.
• 90 boys and girls attended a sports camp – opening hearts to friendship, spirituality, and a new lifestyle without bad habits
One partner writes: “Dear friends, all these stories are the result of your support. Your sacrifice has become part of these miracles. You invest in children, youth and entire families who find hope and light even in the most difficult times, in frontline cities, under air raids and shelling. We see how God works: changing hearts, restoring dreams.”
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So, to return to the question from a new angle: How can we meditate on God and His sustaining hand in the watches of the night?
While some often are prompted by the Spirit to pray in middle of the night, all of us can cultivate the discipline of meditation. Adele Calhoun writes of meditation being “a long, ardent gaze at God, his work, and his Word;” … a practice of “meditating on people, seeing them as God sees them and expressing delight in them as he does.”2
Meditating on the people of Ukraine as God sees them invites us to pray and intercede – to stand as the watchmen in their night. Would you join us in prayer:
• that the work of our partners’ hands would be established to bring hope and assistance to refugees, displaced peoples, and the local church
• that our Father would reveal his steadfast love to believers and draw to himself those seeking for light in darkness
• that as they receive food aid baskets to nourish their bodies, that their souls will likewise be satisfied in the Lord
• that they would sing for joy in the shadow of God’s wings as they cling to him and he upholds them with his right hand
Thank you for your ongoing support of the Global Emergency Relief Fund and enabling The Alliance Canada to turn our meditation and prayers for the peoples of this world into joining God in His work to uphold them.
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1 The ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®), © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. ESV Text Edition: 2025.
2 Adele Ahlberg Calhoun, Spiritual Disciplines Handbook Revised & Expanded, IVP Books, 2016.