I have a mini-workspace right next to my bed. On the bookshelf nearby, I keep a notepad and a special pen that lights up just enough for me to see to write in the dark.
It’s for writing during the night watches.
The Bible is full of accounts where God speaks to His servants during the night. David often couldn’t sleep, so wrote many of the Psalms during the quiet hours of darkness. In the book of Esther, when the king couldn’t sleep one night, God moved the king to honor Mordecia, the friend of the Jews. Paul speaks of amazing encounters with God–at night.
History is full of accounts of writers who kept a mini-workspace next to their bed as they prepared to work the night shift. Phillis Wheatley, famous African American poet from the colonial era, kept a candle and writing supplies on the table next to where she slept.
Often, during the night, the Holy Spirit will whisper a thought in my heart. I’ve learned to reach for my pen and notepad and jot it down. Otherwise it will probably be forgotten, or worse yet, cause me to stay awake and toss and turn as I try to remember it for the morning.
Other times, just as I’m drifting off to sleep or waking up to a brand new day, God imparts into my spirit a nugget worth more than gold. I quietly get my pen and paper and write it down without disturbing the household. Then, when I’m fully awake, I’m ready to write His message to the world.
-contributed by Nancy I. Sanders
