C. S. Lewis wrote: “We may ignore, but we can nowhere evade, the presence of God. The world is crowded with Him. He walks everywhere incognito. And the incognito is not always hard to penetrate. The real labour [sic] is to remember, to attend. In fact, to come awake. Still more to remain awake.” (The Narnian by Alan Jacobs)
Jesus, addressing the church at Sardis said: “Wake up and strengthen the things that remain, which were about to die… Remember therefore what you have received and heard, and keep it and repent” (Rev. 3:2). His exhortation continues (3:15), this time to the Laodicean church, to come out of their lukewarm state into a definite choice – be hot or be cold! Choose and don’t laze about in tepid waters neglecting his voice and allowing the good things to die.
Only those fully awake are going to be aware of the movements of God and the voice of God in the moments God chooses. Only those at full attention and strengthened are going to have authority to go fully ahead into what God has called them. Only the ones remaining awake are able to keep what they have received and build upon it.
Hebrews 2:1 warns us to “pay closer attention to what we have heard, so that we do not drift away.” Growing up, my family visited my grandparents’ ranch along the Guadalupe River as often as we could in the summer. We would pump up huge tractor inner tubes and float lazily down that river. But if one of us spotted a water moccasin slithering down the bank into the river, we shouted to one another and snapped awake. We started paddling away with some real heat! Drifting was easy until we became aware that danger was near.
And so it is in our Christian lives. For instance, when depression and anxiety come to push in on us, it is easy to drift into that emotional territory without examining what is occurring. Instead, we need to come awake, lift our hands and voices against them and push the door closed again. We can do so with the authority of the Spirit and the word!
Too often we drift along because we are tired or unbelieving, just when we need to press forward, awake to his presence. We need to relentlessly lift our voice in prayer, in speaking the truth, in encouraging one another and in believing the promises. His Spirit is calling us to throw off the covers, come awake, attend to and strengthen what we have and remain awake!
