Wake Up, O Sleeper

“Awake, O sleeper, and arise from the dead, and Christ will shine on you” (Ephesians 5:14).

Anyone who has a teenager knows that young people can fall asleep anywhere and sleep through almost anything! Their ears are immune to morning alarm clocks that continuously blare until parents intervene. Spiritually, we too can become too “sleepy” to recognize the move of God —stuck in the mundane function and routines of our lives. Yet, as believers, we are instructed to “wake up” and make the best use of our time because the days are evil (Ephesians 5:14,16). This alert may seem daunting and even tempt us to hide “under the covers.” However, we were not made to retreat!

John Piper states, “Christian living is intensely practical. There are no experiences in life that God does not touch and change.” God has so much more for us than simply living to escape the darkness. The power of Jesus’ sacrifice covers and equips us for the life God intends. But before we can experience this fullness of life, we must allow Jesus to open our spiritual eyes. We must allow His light to illuminate any dark places lingering from our past, in our thoughts and feelings, or affecting our perspectives. To be fully alive in Christ, awake and ready to follow His lead, we can’t keep one foot in the darkness and the other in the light. As a loving Father, He cannot leave us in a debilitating balance.

Guiding Points:

Call to Action: Read and pray over these scriptures. Ask the Lord to reveal areas of your life where you may be sleepy and dull to the Spirit’s prompting.

“Search me, O God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. Point out anything in me that offends you and lead me along the path of everlasting light” (Psalm 139:23-24).

“If we confess our sins to Him, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all wickedness” (1 John 1:9)

“For once, you were full of darkness, but now you have light from the Lord. So, live as people of light” (Ephesians 5:8).

Prayer: Almighty God, thank You that Your light drives all darkness from us. Help us to seek You daily— keep changing us! We love You and thank You for loving us so much. Continuously make us more like Jesus! In Your name, we pray, Amen!

Final thought: When we seek the Lord and draw close to Him, He draws near to us!