Night Servant

Read: Psalm 134; Colossians 3:17, 23-24

The church building was dark and empty. Mandy’s mom turned on all the lights. Mandy followed her down to the cleaning supply closet in the basement. “I’ll start in the bathrooms,” Mom said. “How about you mop and dust upstairs? And try to finish a little faster this week, okay?”

Mandy wandered slowly upstairs with the mop, swinging the bucket and humming. As she dusted music stands on the stage, she looked out at empty seats and imagined them filled with smiling, clapping people who raised their hands in praise. She took her mop handle and, pretending it was a microphone, sang into it. She called to the pretend crowd, “Sing out! Everyone!” She dropped the mop, strummed an imaginary guitar, and jumped off the stage. On her landing, she raised her hands along with the clapping “crowd.”

Suddenly she heard real clapping, and she looked up and saw Mom. Mom smiled. “Now I see why it takes you so long to clean.”

“I’m sorry, Mom. I just wish I could be up there playing music and singing when real people are here. Mopping all alone doesn’t seem like it matters much to anybody. The singers and guitar players are the ones who really serve God.”

“Did you know that God put a psalm in the Bible for people like us?” asked Mom. “They served in the temple at night.”

“Really? Did anyone notice what they did?”

“I don’t know, and I don’t know if anyone notices what we do, but God notices. He told night workers to lift up their hands and bless the Lord. God told all His servants to worship Him.”

“Not just the music leaders?”

“When you’re cleaning, you’re serving Him just as much as they are. The Bible tells us it’s not what we do, but how we do it, that matters to Jesus. He served us by leaving heaven and coming to earth to save us from sin, and when we do our work out of thankfulness and love, we’re serving and worshiping Him.” Mom picked up the mop and handed it back to Mandy.

“Then I’d better do a good job!” Mandy swished the mop across the floor and made it shine.

–Laura Roesler

How about you? Do you feel like you’re worshiping when you’re cleaning or doing other chores behind the scenes at home or church? The Bible says to let everything you do be done in love (1 Corinthians 16:14). Whatever you do, day or night, can be done out of love for Jesus and others—including work that no one notices. Even if you serve in a way no one sees, Jesus sees you, and you can do it to thank Him for saving you and to honor Him.

Today’s key verse: Oh, praise the Lord, all you servants of the Lord, you who serve at night in the house of the Lord. Psalm 134:1 (NLT)

Today’s key thought: Worship God day and night