Sleep Walking

Genesis 28:16> Then Jacob awoke from his sleep and said, “Surely the LORD is in this place, and I wasn’t even aware of it!”



     I am not one who physically walks in my sleep. I know that some do but I just never have. (At least, no one has ever told me I do!) However, numerous times I have … spiritually. No one told me I did; I discovered it on my own. That was hard to swallow and yet very freeing. You know what I mean? Hard to swallow because it was true yet freeing because I could confess and repent.

     I had fallen asleep to the needs around me. I had fallen asleep to the fact that God is all-seeing and He is all-knowing. Somehow, I had forgotten that fact. I had become too comfortable with my own life that I had grown complacent in it. I could go down the laundry detergent aisle at the grocery store, not think about Him being there, and miss an opportunity to share Him. I could be in line waiting to check out, someone break in front of me and forget He was also there and reading my thoughts, too. I can be with friends and/or families having a great time enjoying the moment and yet still forget He is there. I was sleep walking, so to speak, right through my days. Obviously, I did not want to wake up because I kept hitting the snooze button countless times.  Waking up would involve doing something. Waking up would involve living aware in His presence. Waking up would involve simply not being asleep.

     Finally an alarm clock, as Jonathan Cahn (a Jewish Messianic Rabbi) put it, went off that awakened me, a sound that hitting the snooze button would not have stopped. I was stunned at how long I must have been asleep. I was stunned at the missed opportunities to share Him. I was stunned at how long I had not been awake in His presence. Nevertheless, I was so grateful for the sounding alarm. I felt like Jacob waking up from sleep and saying, “Surely the LORD is in this place, and I wasn’t even aware of it!”     


     *** Heavenly Father, I am so ashamed that it has taken several snoozes to wake me up. But Lord, I am so grateful that it did! When I fall asleep again, Father, I pray that the sound be so invasive that it intrudes my dreams and awakens me from slumber. Forgive me for the countless times that I was spiritually sleep walking. I do not want to miss being awake in Your presence. I do not want to miss dwelling in You. I do not want to miss opportunities to share You. Thank You, Father, for the alarm clock that wakes me up spiritually. ~ Amen



In awe of Him,

Vonda