On Staying Awake

Wakefulness can be frustrating, especially when you want to sleep. In ministry, however, it is essential. "Awake O sleeper and arise from the dead, and Christ will shine on you." A strong cup of coffee works for some (not me), but staying awake in the spirit is not so easy.

They say "The city never sleeps," and spiritually that's true. We know that God never sleeps (Psalm 121.3,4) but neither does the devil. He is pictured as "going to and fro in the earth" (Job 1.7) "seeking someone to devour" (1 Peter 5.8). This is the essence of spiritual warfare: a God who never sleeps, opposed by the enemy who waits for an opportunity to attack.

Tonight we traveled 52 floors above Boston to the top of the Prudential Tower - the 2nd tallest building in Boston, the 26th tallest building in the United States... OK, not too impressive. But the view was. From the "Sky Walk" you can see 360 degrees for miles. From that bird's-eye view, you gain a perspective that God has, looking down on His world. Yet Satan is the "prince of the power of the air" and has, for a time, the same perspective.

The challenge for you and me is to grasp the power of prayer which moves the Hand that moves the world. Those disciples who fell asleep in the Garden did not realize they were sleeping through an historical moment in human history when the eternal plan of God would be fulfilled. Who knows, if we stay awake, what plans we may be part of?