Wake Up!

 

“Wake up! Strengthen what remains and is about to die, for I have not found your deeds complete in the sight of my God.”

—Revelation 3:2

One of the classical pieces for the Season of Advent, we know as the Bach Cantata, “Wachet Auf.” The words refer to the call of the Bridegroom in the Parable of the Virgins that Jesus told. The theme speaks of arising from gloom to glorious light, to hear the angels round the throne of God when our Lord returns to earth to take His Bride, the Church, away with Him.

When we look at the churches across our world today, we often hear about vibrant places across the globe. Many we would look at in our own land, unfortunately, may appear awake, but merely sleep walk. Surely, Jesus, our Bridegroom, would say to us, “Wake up!”

Even one of the churches in the Apostle John’s time had fallen into the sleep-walking pattern. When he wrote letters to seven of the congregations in his time, he told the church in Sardis that their heavy-eyed, lethargic patterns would lead to death—unless they would repent and wake up.

We know from scripture that sleep in a Christian, and a Christian church, can lead to death. As Puritan writer William Gurnall writes:

Samson was asleep and Delilah cut his locks. Saul was asleep, and his spear was taken from his side. Noah was asleep, and his graceless son had opportunity to discover his father’s nakedness. Eutychus was asleep, and fell from the third loft…Sleep creeps upon the soul as it does on the body. ¹

We need to awaken to sin in our life, silently creeping into our lives and our churches. We need to awaken to the needs God wants us to see in the world around us, and we need to awaken to the ways God wants to use us. When we sleep, our enemy Satan can come in unawares and take advantage of us. We can be near spiritual death and not know it.

Will He find us awake when He comes back? If He visited us today, would He find us sleepy or wide awake?

Prayer:

Lord, your church appears asleep, or at best, very drowsy. We have allowed our eyelids to get heavy, rather than stood to move at your command. Send us watchmen to warn us. Sound “Reveille” and reawaken your church. Alert us to dangers that have intruded our bed chambers and wait to kill us in our sleep. Stir us up. As you awoke our churches in times past, come again, and reawaken your people for your glory. Amen. ²

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1 From “The Christian in Complete Armour” by William Gurnall, as quoted in Rushing, Richard, editor. Voices from the Past. Carlisle, PA: The Banner of Truth Trust, 2009. p. 358.

2 From Wilson, Shirley W. “Re”wording Our Prayers for Spiritual Change. Erie, PA: Wilson Publishing, 2011. p. 7.