Awake and Arise!

It’s been hard for my sons, particularly for my 11 year old, to go back to school after a longer than expected Christmas break. Today was the first day back at regular time after half a week of cancellations and two-hour-delays. He is usually awake when I come in the room to get him. Although, that doesn’t mean he jumps out of bed when I call him and eagerly gets ready for the day. By no means, no way…but at least that makes my task a bit easier. This morning, however, Grant was sound asleep when I came in. 

When I was a young girl, my Father was the one who always got me up in the morning. To this day, I can still see the scene in my mind as vividly as if it had only been this morning. He pulled no punches when it came to waking me up. He’d turn the light on and with his thunderous voice, he’d call out my name from the doorway to which sound I would just have no other recourse than to sit up straight on my bed and climb out of it. 

I don’t want to do that to Grant. I want him to ease into the day, gently. So this morning, I went in, gave him a soft kiss on the cheek, rubbed his forehead and whispered that it was time to get up. No movement was recorded at the time, but I left the room anyway. I figured that was good enough for a first warning. A few minutes later, I went in again, and spoke to him about the need to wake up since time was ticking. Nothing, still. I went in one more time and asked him a question to see if he was still asleep. I said: “Pokemon or Dr. Pepper?” Meaning which T-Shirt he wanted to wear. With his eyes still closed, he replied, “Dr. Pepper.” I reminded him again that it was time to get up, put the clothes on his bed, and left the room.

I went downstairs. From the kitchen, I heard Dan coming down the steps, and as he passed by the still darkness of the boys’ room, he said: “Grant! Get up. You only have ½ an hour to get ready.”

Next thing I know…down comes Grant dressed, and ready for breakfast…magic…

I thought to myself that I had done the hard work of waking him up and prepping him, and all Dan did was to sound the trumpet…but then I thought some more…

My thoughts brought me to the ways of the Lord. Our Father in Heaven speaks and we get up. We have no choice. Those who belong to Him cannot resist the sound of His voice! He summons us with His Word which is Action and we awake and arise. We may dismiss warnings and press the snooze button on distant alarms; but when the voice of the Almighty Himself resounds, we, and all whom He calls, go. 

The Mighty One, God, the LORD, speaks and summons the earth from the rising of the sun to where it sets. Psalm 50: 1

Hmmmm…

By no means I’m implying that Dan is God or that he has a god-complex of any sort…but there is something to be said for the impact of the sound of a Father’s voice in his children. I’m no expert, but even after he’s been passed away, my own earthly Father’s voice continues to have an impact in me even today. And that is only but a faint comparison of the impact of our Heavenly Father’s voice upon His children. Regardless of all the disappointment and disillusion that our earthly Fathers may cause us, one day, our Heavenly Father’s voice will erase all that hurt. He will call out our names and He will command us to join Him on that glorious day! Nothing will compare to that. And no one will be able to ignore it. For everyone will have no other recourse than to awake and arise.

For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet of God… 1 Thessalonians 4: 16