A Sudden Awakening

I'm still in school mode the next couple of weeks, so waking up this morning was more of a forced act than an exciting "spring out of bed." (I will admit, though, that the blue skies and sunshine helped the process.) I remember a time in college (many years ago) when I pulled an "all-nighter" to push through the required work for exam week. There was plenty of coffee involved since we stayed up and did homework in a 24 hour restaurant. When exam week was over, I crashed for a long time. When I woke up after that sleep, I still didn't feel refreshed. It was hard to wake up.

"When he came to his senses, he said... (Luke 15:17a NIV)

A spiritual awakening is much like a physical awakening. The harder you work at and longer you stay away from home, from the Father, in the distant country, the harder it is to wake up. Do don't exactly feel refreshed right away. You struggle.

Some people, like Ezekiel that we discussed last week, need to hit rock bottom before they hear the alarm and wake up. Others, like Saul/Paul, don't need to hit rock bottom before they hear the alarm, the alarm is just loud enough to get their attention. In both cases, they wake up. This is the necessary first step toward coming home to the Father again.

How about you? Have you ever pulled an all-nighter? Was it hard to wake up? Have you fought long and hard to stay away from the Father? Do you need to hit rock bottom before you wake up? Are you ready for a sudden awakening?