An Amen for the Night Help

All you servants of the Lord who minister by night in the house of the Lord … may the Lord bless you from Zion. – Psalm 134:1 & 3 (NIV)

There are those among us who are within the employment category sometimes referred to as the “night help.”

We seldom, if ever, see them. They don’t begin their work until all the spectacular work is done for the day.

These are the people who empty the trash and clean the toilets and dust the furniture and mop the floors … and who, in this coronavirus crisis, sanitize our work and gathering spaces.

Sometimes the “night help” appears during the day. They are the first people at the desk who attend to our emergency health crises when we show up at the Emergency Room or when we summon an ambulance. During and after stormy weather, they are the ones dispatched to restore our power and our cable. In the onslaughts of snow and ice, they are the ones who monitor the roads and bridges at all hours to facilitate the safe traveling of the public.

But even in daylight, the “night help” is often invisible.

In Psalm 134, God turns our attention to the “night help.” The blessings of the Most High are called down upon all those who labor consistently, dependably and indispensably behind the scenes.

As the people of God, we have the responsibility of helping to realize God’s blessing upon the “night help” by ensuring that they are paid living wages that keep up with inflation, and by ensuring that they have affordable health insurance, and by ensuring that they are not criminalized for their citizenship status.

Prayer
Lord you have blessed us with the “night help.” Now use us to bless them. Amen.

Small Group Discussion

About the Author
Kenneth L. Samuel is Pastor of Victory for the World Church, Stone Mountain, Georgia.