It was one of those mornings.
Spiritual warriors, veteran pray-ers who are living definitions of ‘intercession’ know exactly what I’m talking about. You’re deeply, wonderfully resting, immersed in a merciful deep sleep–when the Celestial Bat Signal garishly bounces off the back of your eyelids, making you wince like those electronic LED billboards right above Acceptance Acura / Kia / Scion / Mahindra out on the frontage road. Or jump the light.
For me, it always seems to be associated with the 3 AM hour. This morning’s mission: 3:21.
I’d like to tell you I immediately sucked it up like the spiritual spec op dude I am, piling out of bed, sliding feet into nearby slippers and racing off to join God in whatever battle needed my expertise.
I’d like to tell you that. Truth? I was tired and needed that rest. Chronic fatigue calls for plenty of it, and I looked at those soft, warm blankets like my minidoxie, the Budster, looks at pizza crusts. Manfully, I resisted and began lifting whichever of you needed the prayer support.
The Time-tested lyric says, “Oh, what peace we often forfeit” by not standing in the defense gap for one another. I wasn’t about to let that happen because I’ve done both: gotten out of bed, showered and got down to it; or I’ve shrugged it off and tried to get more sleep, nagged later and throughout the day by the sense I’d let God and somebody else down.
I find peace in responding to God’s call for urgent intervention. Sure, it’s rough to only get 4-5 hours’ sleep. Yet Ephesians 1:19 talks about “the utter extravagance of his work in us who trust him–endless energy, boundless strength!” Hey. I’ll take that deal.
Here’s the thing. God sees and knows all of IT at once. Time isn’t a factor with Him. So who’s better equipped to get The Signal out than The One who sees everything we don’t? As 2 Corinthians 4:18 puts it, “There’s far more here than meets the eye. The things we see now are here today, gone tomorrow. But the things we can’t see now will last forever.”
So since God’s up, anyway, and sees it all–it makes sense to let Him call the shots. And me? Well, I’m a champion sleeper, too. Love it, matter of fact. Since I never know just when The Signal is going to blaze me awake, I’m not going to feel the least bit bad about sleeping when I can.
What we see is only temporary. What we can’t see is ultimate reality. I’m doing what I suggest you do: trust Him to help you keep your eyes on what you can’t see.
© D. Dean Boone, January 2016