However, Kelly has learned that if he tries to ask questions or share important news with me too soon after I arise, he will get a blank look and sluggish response. He forgets he has a jump on me and I need a little time to catch up. He’s already in hyper drive, and I’m just putting on my seat belt.
It seems like Jesus’ disciples often lagged behind Him the same way. He was up and about the Father’s business while they were still rubbing sleep from their eyes. Most of the time, their sleepiness seemed to coincide with Jesus’ invitations to pray.
Jesus “took Peter, John and James with him and went up onto a mountain to pray. As he was praying, the appearance of his face changed, and his clothes became as bright as a flash of lightning. Two men, Moses and Elijah, appeared in glorious splendor, talking with Jesus. They spoke about his departure, which he was about to bring to fulfillment at Jerusalem. Peter and his companions were very sleepy, but when they became fully awake, they saw his glory and the two men standing with him” (Luke 9:28-32, emphasis mine).
This is an old trick of the enemy. Prayer is a powerful tool against evil. If he can lull us to sleep every time we try to pray, we become weak and ineffective in spiritual warfare. Knowing his tactic is our first defense. Doing whatever it takes to stay alert in prayer is our best offensive move.
Even though my favorite time to meet with the Lord is first thing in the morning, I’ve had to juggle it around over the years. When I had an early bird class in college, I was so sleepy in the mornings and late evenings that I had to come up with a different plan. So I had devotions after my first class when the dorm was quiet. After I married and had babies, they always wanted to get up earlier than I did, so I had devotions while they napped. Even then, it was a challenge to stay awake. When I worked full time, I had to get to bed early so I could get up at 5:00. And it took good strong coffee for my time in the Word. But it was so worth the effort!
You see, it’s only when we become fully awake that we will see Christ’s glory. Whatever it takes to wake up so we can spend time with Jesus and pray, that’s what we need to do. The disciples almost missed seeing Moses and Elijah in glorious splendor on the mountaintop. They almost missed overhearing their conversation with Jesus about His upcoming mission. They had to wake up first.
God wants to hear from us; He has things to tell us; He wants to show us His glory. It would be such a shame to miss it, all for the sake of a little more sleep.
Lint Removed: Sleepiness
Cleaning Process: Wake up and See Jesus
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I read this while drinking my first cup of coffee,still transitioning from night to day. Just what I needed, a wake up call. I like your phrase, "the heavenly war council." It hit me as a reminder that we are in the midst of a battle with a real enemy and high stakes. And prayer will always be our most powerful weapon.
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