DAYLIGHT SAVINGS TIME OR NOT four o’clock in the morning is dark. It is most definitely a time for sleeping and dreaming, but over the past number of months I have been waking up ever morning between four and four-fifteen. The reason? Christ and Krista.
I believe that the Lord has been waking me ever morning to pray specifically for our daughter Krista as she serve with the Peace Corps in Burkina Faso, Africa. Four o’clock our time is about noon for her (depending on good old Daylight Savings Time).
Most mornings it is pretty much the same, I awaken, turn my heart and mind toward what she might be experiencing or doing on that day, and then I offer up a few prayers, and then drift back into my state of slumber. I don’t get out of bed, I don’t get on my knees, I just lay in bed and lift up a prayer or two, and back to sleep I fall. Not very spiritual, but at least I do pray.
My Christian life is often like my four o’clock awakenings. Each day I have committed to pray for Krista and I do, if the Lord wakes me, I struggle to keep focused, and once a few prayers are lifted it time to drift back to sleep. I find in my life as a follower of Jesus I have committed to pray, if the Lord wakes me (so much for personal discipline) and then after a few fitful attempts and half-hearted moments I slip back into my slumber. Not very spiritual.
My fear is that this is what we often do on Sunday mornings. We awaken for a few short moments, utter some sleepy-eyed words of praise and prayer, and then slip back into some kind of spiritual sleep-walking. Not very spiritual.
Oh Lord, awaken us fully, so that we can be fully awake to Thee.