Day 30: When We Are Asleep

Luke 22:39-71; Genesis 40; Psalm 31

The significance of Christ's words “Wake up and pray that you won’t be tested" are powerful. As followers of Jesus, are we sometimes caught asleep. We are not paying attention. Our hearts are uncaring.  And this leads to tests and trials and struggles.  We have got to WAKE UP and STAY AWAKE.  When we fall asleep in our faith, that is when sin enters in, we stop being effective for God's kingdom, and we lose the blessing of Jesus.

Even the people who have come to kill Jesus get an opportunity to see his power and feel his love.  Jesus heals the high priest’s servant’s ear in the midst of his arrest.  Helping, loving, healing, they are so a part of who Jesus is that it is like he cannot help but serve, no matter who the person or what they have done.  May the Lord teach us to love and serve like that—that we care even to people who don’t care about us or in situations where we would typically be more concerned about ourselves.

Jesus says that this is “your time and darkness is in control.” I suppose this means that when the world is turned over to human hands, when God’s presence and care leaves, when Satan is in control, that the most violent and evil things in the world happens?  Humans are capable of such terrible things, and Jesus points that out by this statement.  That this was our (human’s) time and look what was happening.  It's still happening today.  One of the arguments I see over and over, and I suppose it could be true, is that since we cannot pray in schools anymore, we have all these children and teachers being shot, or committing suicide, or pouring out hate on one another.  When we take God out of something, "darkness is in control." Sad, and very scary.

There are so many reasons to honor and love God.  He protects us, answers our prayers, lead us, saves us from sin, and is so trustworthy.  I pray that all the amazing qualities God has will shine through us and that we would get out of the way and not keep them for our own glory.  I pray that God would break us of selfishness and pride so that there is only room for the Lord's goodness and humility.

I pray that no matter what trials may come in our lives, that we would be faithful and joyful because of God's promises to love and save us.  May we put our whole life in his hands—for me that is my husband and marriage, my career, my future children, my friends and family—because God knows so much better how to bless us than we do ourselves and may we trust in him to care for them and lead them.  I pray that our lives would reflect Christ's values and his love, not our own pride.  May we give God all the glory.