Wake Up Time

I never liked morning time as I grew up and to be honest, I am not a morning person as an adult either. Two cups of coffee and a hot shower takes me two hours. Once the fuel is in the tank and the engine is started - I am ready to go!

My mother, after trying many different methods, finally found a way to get my sleepy little body out of bed. She used the "Irritation Method". This method consisted of her coming into my room where she rudely caused my window shade to "spring up" and she sing-song chimed, "It's wake up time"! Needless to say, I did not lovingly respond. Oh how she loved the morning!

In Luke 22 we see where Jesus applied the "Irritation Method" to wake up his disciples as well. He asked them to pray that they would not fall into temptation while he was off praying in the garden. He was not far off, he was just "a stones throw away". When he returned to the disciples he found them asleep, exhausted from sorrow. Again he spoke to them and reminded them (perhaps more sternly than the first time) to "Get up and pray so that you will not fall into temptation."

The truth is friends, that Jesus is never too far away. He has told us to pray without ceasing. Yet we have grown tired. It takes a lot of work and discipline to pray without ceasing. As you get tired it seems that you are not able to see the closeness of Jesus and that you are not aware of his nearness.

Temptations come in so easily. The more tired we get, the less likely to recognize the temptations that come in and try to gain our attention. Temptations that are subtle like watching tv, talking for long times on the phone, business at work, reading empty books. The list could go on and on.

Sometimes we wonder why it is that we are so tired. Could it be perhaps that we have fallen into temptations that have caused us to drift into sleep as we drift away from what Jesus has asked us to do? When our spirits fall asleep, we fall into temptations.

Jesus can raise the dead and Jesus can raise his "church" from slumber. The question is this: Will the church respond? Pray so that you will not fall into temptation!