"But ye, brethren, are not in darkness, that that day should overtake you as a thief. Ye are all the children of light, and the children of the day: we are not of the night, nor of darkness. Therefore let us not sleep, as do others; but let us watch and be sober." I Thessalonians 5:4-6
Monday, August 8, 2011 appeared to be an ordinary morning upon awakening, after my alarm clock sounded, then entering into prayer as usual. Afterwards, I got ready for the day and proceeded to do a little morning housework, when suddenly the Spirit of God unexpectedly swept into my midst in a holy visitation, then a spirit of deep travail and intercession gripped me. As I yielded to the burden of the Lord and this divine call to prayer for a period of time, the Lord emphatically spoke to my heart, "My People are asleep. The Church is asleep. Do They not know how late the hour is? My coming is near." God has issued His Own Wake Up Call!
Naturally, a "wake up call" may be defined as a telephone call that one requests to occur at a specific time in order to be woken up. Hotel guests often have the privilege of requesting a "wake up call," to ensure awakening at a designated time. This is one manner in which the phrase is used. Another usage of the terminology "wake up call" means a warning to take action concerning something that was neglected, or a sign that alerts one to negative behavior or circumstances. Such a sign or defining point alerts us and gets our attention. This often is a pivotal point in life that causes one to awake and refocus to reality and what is relevant. In this case, thus this article, the Wake Up Call is one alerting us to prepare for the veracity of eternity.
Let us not be at the precipice of the coming of the Lord, recorded as a people not fully awake. Wake up and truly realize that the time is short and we must watch and pray, for we cannot hit the spiritual snooze button lest a spirit of sleep or slumber overtake us. The Apostle Paul in Romans 13:11 states "And that, knowing the time, that now it is high time to awake out of sleep..." We are living in the end times and Bible prophecy is quickly being fulfilled and it is time to awake! In this scripture Paul is talking to Christians and he references the word "sleep." He uses the Greek word from which the English word derived is "hypnosis" one that means "to be drowsy." Paul is identifying believers who were in an apathetic or lethargic spiritual "daze."
I Peter 4:7 relays "But the end of all things is at hand..." so, it is exhorted "...be you therefore sober, and watch unto prayer." Note, this means to have a high degree of alertness. In Matthew 26:40-41, Jesus returned and found the disciples sleeping, He then asked Peter, "What, could ye not watch with me one hour? Watch and pray, that ye enter not into temptation: the spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak." If even ever more,NOW is the TIME to watch and pray!
The Herald of Free Enterprise, a vehicle ferry, was traveling between Dover, England and Zeebrugge, Belgium on March 6, 1987. The entire front of the ship opened so cars/trucks could be loaded onto the lower decks. One winter night, with the vehicles loaded and 563 passengers on board, Captain Lewry began to set sail. It was 7:00 p.m. and dark, and all was well in the sheltered harbor. However, one mile out, when they hit high seas, the ship capsized in 90 seconds and sank within five minutes, and 193 people drowned. The ship had set to sea with its front loading doors wide open. There was no indicator light displayed on the bridge. The Captain assumed that the Seaman responsible for closing the doors had already done so. Instead, he was asleep in his cabin. Because this Seaman was asleep on the job, 193 people died.
Let's shake ourselves and not succumb to sleep and get lost in our temporal dreams that may eventually turn into nightmares if we are not ready at the coming of the Lord. This Clarion Call has sounded that the Lord is coming soon, and we must not be asleep. Let us pray that We (Church) all wake up in this Hour. WAKE UP...there is a Call from the Throne! Will you answer?
Flo Shaw
International Coordinator
World Network of Prayer
