It takes me a long time to wake up in the morning. When I was younger I needed to set an alarm to get up. Now, it’s in my muscle memory. This word awaken has more to do with my soul than just not hitting the snooze. Awakening has everything to do with waking up to what’s going on, who I am, and how I will engage with the day and the people I interact with. The Bible talks about this…
“Awake sleeper, and rise from the dead, and Christ will shine on you.” Ephesians 5:14 NASB
First thing, about 5 am I get up, turn on the gas to heat water for a cup of Joe – San Francisco French Roast from Costco with a turkish grind. My mind and soul is fogged like the windows of my truck parked out back. The windows will defog in an hour or so as the sun crests the hill. Same with my mind/soul — it takes about an hour till the Spirit penetrates the eye of my heart and I’m making sense of things in my own right mind.
Yes, it takes about an hour sitting with God in the dawn of each new day to get my head on straight.
I begin very slowly to reflect and pray through the Daily Prayer (John Baillie, 1886-1960) followed by the Serenity Prayer (Reinhold Neibuhr, 1892 – 1971), 1 Corinthians 13:4-8, and Ephesians 6:10-19.
I do so as a desperate man–lost, doing the work of remembering who I am and what I am doing this day on this planet. I am desperate every day.
All along, as I awaken with God, I pray, talk, or mumble — putting voice to my heart in partial sentences, bits of thoughts, fragments of truth — those inspired Words of God — verses which I’ve laboriously memorized and scrambled into the meat locker of my soul.
At times I find myself in a fierce spiritual battle, gripping and grunting in a fight to the death with the Prince of Darkness. As I do, I become more proficient with the tools of spiritual war. At times I am rolling with laughter, jotting thoughts in my journal, watching the dawn descend on the eucalyptus trees across the dell.
This is the best part of my day.
By now the last bit of coffee has grown cold. I take the final sip, and then having met with my Maker, I advance into the day ready for anything.
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PRAY
Help me awaken each day like this God. You may have a different way to peel back the dark, fix my heart on truth, and remind me You are in charge. Whatever it takes, I surrender again. Remind me to do my part in this God! Amen
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