AWAKENING
There are times when God can use the world He created to cause us to worship Him. A few nights ago I was out walking on frozen ground under a clear sky full of stars. Inhaling the cold air was invigorating. I started to pray out loud. I thanked God for His creation and then prayed for many people. My prayers seem to circle back around to thanking Him for what I was surrounded by. I took a deep breath and as the cold air hit my lungs, I mouthed the word "awakening." I repeated the word again and then I said "Yes God, we need an awakening!"
There are moments that are undeniably spiritual in nature. God's supernatural presence invades the natural space of man and a special moment is created. I was in that place. Being on a fast and seeking God will cause Him to show up in unique ways. It's an awakening experience. I've focused on that word for the past several days and found some great passages in the Bible. In the picture of a mountain sunset above, the caption is a partial quote from 2 Corinthians 5:17 in the Amplified Bible. Here is the entire verse, "Therefore if anyone is in Christ [that is, grafted in, joined to Him by faith in Him as Savior], he is a new creature [reborn and renewed by the Holy Spirit]; the old things [the previous moral and spiritual condition] have passed away. Behold, new things have come [because spiritual awakening brings a new life]."
A life in Christ brings a new life in man. Becoming born again, brings you into union with Christ and awakens you into a new way of life. Everyone I know who's invited Christ into their lives has experienced a spiritual awakening and enters into a new way of life. Looking up the word "awake" in the Bible, I found an interesting verse in
Judges 5:12, “Awake, awake, Deborah: awake, awake, utter a song." The word "awake" as found in the Lexicon :: is Strong's number H5782 - `uwr, and has the following meanings: "through the idea of opening the eyes", to rouse oneself, awake, awaken, incite, to be rouse, to stir up, rouse, incite, to be excited, be triumphant." I could sum up how I felt that night under the starts as I think about "awakening" by saying I'm excited about what God will do in the new year and I know He's already triumphant!
DAY FIVE WORD
Romans 13:11
“Do this, knowing the time, that it is already the hour for you to awaken from sleep; for now salvation is nearer to us than when we believed.”
Isaiah 50:4 Amplified Bible
“The Lord God has given Me [His [a]Servant] the tongue of disciples [as One who is taught],
That I may know how to sustain the weary with a word.
He awakens Me morning by morning,
He awakens My ear to listen as a disciple [as One who is taught].”
DAY FIVE PRAYER
I'm in awe of your creation God. Sunrises, sunsets, moonlit skies with shooting stars - they all take my breath away. Your mountains are exciting, they give me joy and inspiration. You've awakened me beyond anything I could have imagined. Thank you God for rousing an wakening of You in me. Amen.
DAY FIVE DEEP THOUGHTS
- Have you ever taken a deep breath in silence under the stars and asked God to make himsself real to you?
- Have you ever read about the more than 300 prophesies written about Jesus in the Old Testament?
- What natural wonder of the world evokes thoughts about God in your mind?
- If God woke you up and asked, "What do you see?" how would you answer?