Pray At Night?

Lamentations 2:19
Arise, cry out in the night,
as the watches of the night begin;
pour out your heart like water
in the presence of the Lord.
Lift up your hands to him
for the lives of your children,
who faint from hunger
at every street corner.

When is it most effective time to pray? What does effective mean? If one person prays during the day only and another one at night only, who is spiritually better off? Should we even ask such a question?

The book of Lamentations was written by Jeremiah. Jeremiah prophesied that Israel will be punished for disobeying God. The punishment would be God allowing their enemies to attack them and take them captive. This sad prophecy came true during Jeremiah’s time. As he witnessed Israelites suffering from the attack by Babylon, he wrote the book of Lamentations.

Jeremiah cries throughout the book narrating the painful experiences that people are going through, but also expressing hope that God who has allowed the punishment can still save from the punishment. In our chapter today he begins by explaining how God has acted as an enemy of Israel by allowing such brutal punishment, Lamentations 2:4. He talks of God seemingly rejecting His people, Lamentations 2:7. He paints a terrible picture by any standards. Let us not forget to note that sin can punish brutally. After all warnings from God, when sin takes over, it is brutal, ruthless, and merciless.

At the height of their suffering, Jeremiah says, the people are crying to God, Lamentations 2:18. We need to credit them for this wisdom. Even if your suffering is caused by God, you are safe crying to that same God. Even if God caused your suffering, don’t turn against Him and curse Him and get suicidal. Stick to God even if He kills you, Job 13:15. We have nowhere to turn to except God. They cried to God as they suffered.

In our text today, Jeremiah tells them to cry out to God in the night. As it gets darker, they should cry more to God. Should this be understood as a command to pray at night only? Pray at night preferably? Pray at night more? Why does Jeremiah ask them to cry out at night?

Jeremiah commands them to pray day and night, Lamentations 2:18. Then in the next verse, he specifies the night. Cry out in the night. At a time of captivity after a long walk and hard labor, the body will ache as it rests. Pray during this pain. At night when the world rests, the mind reflects all that happens and mental pain sets it, emotional pain, regret…many thoughts and worries multiply at night. Pray at night. Fears are magnified by darkness. If you witnessed dead bodies during the day, the flashback haunts at night. If enemies prowl around during the day killing people, at night the risk is higher. Therefore though you pray day and night, pray at night more. Pray at night!

Pray at night because situations get worse at night. Pray at night because our fears are greater at night. Pray at night when our pain both physical and mental are deep and real. Pray at night because at night you are vulnerable and desperate. The night may be literal or figurative. You may be going through a season of life that is best described as night. Pray at night.

Some night prayers are just social events by church youth. There is more joking and sexual immorality than prayer. There are no structured programs and the aim is to make it to the morning. Such events are a curse more than a blessing. Some night prayers are a show-off of spiritual prowess and are more of enduring sleep challenges than reaching out to God. It is better to pray alone than to gather people who are not of one accord. Prayer should not be a program but communication with God. It is better to pray for an hour or less, than force the body through the night as you doze off and suffer through. God is not moved to answer because we suffer. He will still answer the same prayer if we offered it during the day. We should pray at night because we have a problem that night. We pray at night because we are uncomfortable with the night. Not as a church calendar event. Pray at night, when night comes!

Prayer does not change God, it changes us. Prayer is a communication process with God. That process helps us. We do not pray at night because demons are active at night, no! Demons are active all the time. We do not pray at night because that is when God is available, God is available all the time. We do not pray at night because the whole world is quiet and asleep and we now have ample time to talk to God, no, God can handle all of us praying at the same time, so we don’t pray at night to escape prayer traffic. To pray at night because others are sleeping is selfish. Suggesting that if everyone woke up to pray, you would no longer find that moment appropriate. To pray at night because the whole world is asleep is poor knowledge of geography. While it is day time in one part of the world, it is night in another. There is no such time as the whole world is asleep.

Praying at night therefore has to do with our desperation. In deep trouble we become insomniacs. We hardly sleep. We are afraid. Nightmares wake us up. Deep thoughts, pain, and tears keep us awake. We think hard and deep uninterrupted at night. Such thoughts can be destructive and misleading. Therefore the antidote to any night is to pray. Jeremiah tells us in our text today that as it gets darker we should pray more.

As it gets darker to your health, pray. As it gets darker in your finances, pray. As it gets darker in your relationships, pray. As it gets darker in your studies, pray. As it gets darker in your spiritual life, pray. If you fear darkness, if anything keeps you awake, just pray. That is the night that needs prayer. Pray at night!

Dear God in some aspects of my life it is getting darker, teach me to pray at night. In the night of my situation, teach me to pray at night. As we pray in the night, as we cry out in the night, may it quickly dawn, in Jesus’ name, Amen!