BEATING THE GROGGIES!

 

Slowly, I became aware that my alarm had chimed some time ago, and I was still plastered to the bed.  I tried to wiggle my fingers and toes and my mouth seemed frozen out of place.  I painstakingly pried myself out of bed and stumbled to the bathroom where I slapped my face a few times in an attempt to register reality.  It finally dawned on me what had happened.  I had gone to bed with an excellent book the night before, about God’s work progressing in South America and just could not put it down.  I had read late into the night, and now, as a result, had missed my precious one-on-one time with the Lord.  I barely had time to fall on my knees, plead the forgiveness of my sins, ask for a fresh outpouring of His Holy Spirit and that He remember my prayers of yesterday and I was on my way.

 

The morning dragged by.  Finally, my lunch hour came and I was at last able to open my Bible.  My reading that day was from John 19 and Matthew 27 – the crucifixion.  Reading through these accounts, I found it riveting that a person could be right there and witness Jesus’ death on the cross, and not grasp what was really happening.  The soldiers were intent on their own selfish personal gain and it wasn’t until the earth quake that their attention was finally arrested.  They had Jesus right there with them and missed it.  When they finally became aware that it was Him it was too late to do anything for Him.

 

I painfully remembered that morning when my own precious opportunity had slipped away and I chided myself, “What will it take to get your attention?  Are you only interested in your own selfish personal gain as were those soldiers?  Each and every new morning is a fresh opportunity to meet with your Lord and Savior to spend quality time with Him and getting to know Him on a personal level.”

 

When I was in academy in Ohio, my boyfriend lived in Tennessee.  I had met him through a cousin who also lived in Tennessee.  During the summer months, he would on occasion drive up to Ohio to visit.  I remember keeping an ear tuned to his late night arrival.  When I heard his car pull into the driveway outside my window, I would quickly rise and greet him at the door.  This is the kind of eagerness we should exhibit when the Holy Spirit calls us to awake for our special one-on-one time with Him.  If I had made excuses not to rise and open the door, if I had left him outside in the dark to fend for himself, and not brought him into the light of the house, he would have had no reason to keep coming.  The same is true of our Lord and Savior when He knocks on our heart’s door.

 

In this context, it is good to remember the words of Song of Solomon 5:2-7:

 

“I sleep, but my heart waketh: it is the voice of my beloved that knocketh, saying,

 

‘Open to me, my sister, my love, my dove, my undefiled: for my head is filled with dew, and my locks with the drops of the night.’ 

I have put off my coat; how shall I put it on? I have washed my feet; how shall I defile them?  My beloved put in his hand by the hole of the door, and my bowels were moved for him.  I rose up to open to my beloved; and my hands dropped with myrrh, and my fingers with sweet smelling myrrh, upon the handles of the lock.  I opened to my beloved; but my beloved had withdrawn himself, and was gone: my soul failed when he spake: I sought him, but I could not find him; I called him, but he gave me no answer.  The watchmen that went about the city found me, they smote me, they wounded me; the keepers of the walls took away my veil from me.”

 

Maintaining a devoted spiritual life is a life long battle.  One devotional hour missed with the Lord for whatever reason, is a spiritual wound.  The daily hour, set aside for one-on-one time with the Lord in Bible reading and prayer, must be maintained for optimal spiritual health.

 

God promises in Psalm 91:1 “He that dwelleth in the secret place of the most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty.”  Matthew 6:6 tells us where that secret place is.  “But thou, when thou prayest, enter into thy closet, and when thou hast shut thy door, pray to thy Father which is in secret; and thy Father which seeth in secret shall reward thee openly.”  And Isaiah 45:3 promises, “And I will give thee the treasures of darkness, and hidden riches of secret places, that thou mayest know that I, the LORD, which call thee by thy name, am the God of Israel.”

 

Maybe you haven’t been spending a lot of time with the Lord.  Be faithful in the time you do have, and God will grow your faith like the tiny mustard seed.  For Jesus spoke a parable in Matthew 13:31-32, “The kingdom of heaven is like to a grain of mustard seed, which a man took, and sowed in his field: Which indeed is the least of all seeds: but when it is grown, it is the greatest among herbs, and becometh a tree, so that the birds of the air come and lodge in the branches thereof.”  And in Matthew 17:20  He added, “Verily I say unto you, If ye have faith as a grain of mustard seed, ye shall say unto this mountain, Remove hence to yonder place; and it shall remove; and nothing shall be impossible unto you.”

 

Now I want to share some things with you here that have been of help to me upon waking in the morning when the bed is nice and cozy and the house is cool, in hopes that you may be encouraged too.

 

There is a quote in the book Education, page 130, 131 which reads, “The power of God is still exercised in upholding the objects of His creation. It is not because the mechanism once set in motion continues to act by its own inherent energy that the pulse beats, and breath follows breath. Every breath, every pulsation of the heart, is an evidence of the care of Him in whom we live and move and have our being. (Acts 17:28)  From the smallest insect to man, every living creature is daily dependent upon His providence.”  It is because of Him that we wake up each new morning, living, moving, breathing.  The alternative is not a pretty picture.  “If he set his heart upon man, if he gather unto himself his spirit and his breath; All flesh shall perish together, and man shall turn again unto dust.”  Job 34:14-15

 

We are indebted to Him for everything we have.  “And he is before all things,” Colossians 1:17 tells us, “and by him all things consist.”  Similar to how He created Adam and Eve and placed them in the garden, He created this day, and placed us in it.  What better way to start each new day than with Him who first gave this new day to us.

 

It is good to remember the words Jesus spoke to His disciples in the Garden of Gethsemane in Luke 22:46, “Why sleep ye?  Rise and pray lest ye enter into temptation.”  This speaks volumes, and is timely for us today.

 

In Luke 10:42, when Mary chose to sit at Jesus feet instead of doing what her sister wanted her to do, Jesus said, “Mary hath chosen that good part, which shall not be taken away from her.”  I have learned from experience, when I choose extra sleep over my time with the Lord, I wake up just as groggy as I did the first time.  The benefit gained from spending time alone with Him far, far outweighs the benefit of a few extra minutes in bed.  Time spent one-on-one with the Lord is much more exciting and invigorating than anything gained from spending that time in sleep.

 

Remember those who are incarcerated for their faith and know that “there but by the grace of God go I.”  This is not to say they do not have God’s grace.  Our time may indeed come.  This is not so long ago and far away, but a very real and current event.  They do not have the luxury of thick carpets and warm blankets, or even a sanitary environment as they pray.

 

Upon waking, do not allow yourself to think about how you feel.  If you begin to meditate on your aches and pains and how tired you are, Satan has won.  When you turn off the alarm, keep right on moving non stop.  With the same motion you use to turn off the alarm, roll your body out until your feet touch the floor!  This is not as hard as it sounds, barring of course any major physical malady.  And it, like every habit, becomes easier each time you do it.  My goal (no I’m not there yet) is to be able to do this every morning.

 

My friend Lisa says, “Mind over mattress.  When your feet hit the floor, the devil says, “Oh no! She’s up!”

 

Once you are up, keep your brain moving too.  I have found this is easier if I take greater care during the course of the day to avoid rich deserts, drink lots of water, and spend time exercising.  And especially, to take greater care to see that I get to bed on time.  This makes it easier to stay focused, and to pray more fervently and believe more fully.  And the reward for this is that you will see greater, and more positive results as God hears and answers your prayers.  “The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much.”  James 5:15-16

 

And there are more rewards too.

 

Claim a Bible promise for each person you pray for.  I have spent much time pouring my heart out to the Lord for the people on my prayer list, and feeling oh so burdened afterward.  But when I claim a Bible promise for them, my heart is flooded with joy, because God has promised!  “And this is the confidence that we have in him, that, if we ask any thing according to his will (i.e., claiming a Bible promise), he heareth us: And if we know that he hear us, whatsoever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we desired of him.”  I John 5:14-15

 

God’s promises are like the trees in a Redwood forest.  Solid.  Firm.  True.  If they lay on the ground impotent, it is only because you do not believe or claim them.  I have heard it said that it is up to God whether or not He will honor His promises.  But He has already decided. “For all the promises of God in Him are yea, and in Him Amen, unto the glory of God by us.”  II Corinthians 1:20  And Numbers 23:19 assures us, “God is not a man, that he should lie; neither the son of man, that he should repent: hath he said, and shall he not do it? or hath he spoken, and shall he not make it good?”

 

In my own personal experience, I have found my Sabbath one-on-one time with the Lord to be extra special.  On this day, I sometimes lay my regular prayer requests aside trusting Him to keep them ever before Him, and spend my time with Him just praising Him for everything and anything I can think of to praise Him for.  I may review the deepest desires of my heart, which are mostly based on drawing closer to Him, praying that He will help me to implement them into my life.  Then I follow with a time of Bible reading.  After that I arrive at church extra early, where I have a season of prayer with my brothers and sisters in Christ.  What a thrill it is to kneel with them, grasping hold of His great throne of grace through faith, and pour out our praises, thanksgiving and specific requests to Him who knows all, sees all, and knows how best to help.  I find the worship services are so much more special and meaningful when I have already spent good quality time that very morning one-on-one with my Creator and Savior.

 

Ephesians 3:20 tells us He is “able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that worketh in us.”  What is this “power that worketh in us”?  Even our faith.  I John 5:4 affirms, “For whatsoever is born of God overcometh the world: and this is the victory that overcometh the world, even our faith.”  i.e.. the power that worketh in us!

 

But there are stipulations too.

 

Psalms 66:18 tells us “If I regard iniquity in my heart, the Lord will not hear me.”  And I John 3:22 adds, “And whatsoever we ask, we receive of Him, because we keep His commandments, and do those things that are pleasing in His sight.”  “For the eyes of the Lord are over the righteous, and His ears are open unto their prayers: but the face of the Lord is against them that do evil.”  I Peter 3:12

 

One Monday morning, I awoke feeling like I hadn’t slept.  I had spent almost the entire day before, getting ready for two very important and fast approaching church meetings.  Getting to bed too late, I had found it difficult to get to sleep.  I realized I had been so intent on my work the day before that I had not taken the time to get any fresh air or exercise, and hardly even stopped for a drink of water.  Now, I just could not wake up.  I finally made it into my room of prayer and knelt to pray, but soon found myself laying on the floor, pleading for forgiveness and a fresh in-filling of His Holy Spirit, but feeling desperately unworthy to receive either.  After praying for a short while, I clambered into my chair and flipped open my Bible.  It fell open to Psalms 142 and 143 and wow, could I identify!  The Psalmists enemies were physical enemies, mine were spiritual.  His cries became the cries of my own heart, and God heard.  Especially 143:11 where it says, “Quicken me, O Lord, for thy names sake.”  I felt new life, new energy flow through me, and was ready to face the day.  God knew my heart, He knew my desire and fulfilled it, as the Bible promises in Psalms 145:19.  “He will fulfill the desire of them that fear Him; He also will hear their cry, and will save them.”  What would have happened if I had stayed in bed as long as possible?  Speaking from past experience, I would have missed my time with my Creator, and I would have faced a long day of feeling groggy, but frantic, and extremely inadequate to face the day alone without Him.

 

Another morning I awoke with the words going through my head, “Go quickly now.  Make haste!”  My Bible reading for that morning just happened to be Luke 19, the story of Zacchaeus.  Zacchaeus wanted to see Jesus.  So much so that he climbed a tree along the roadway Jesus was traveling.  When Jesus reached the tree, he looked up and said, “Zacchaeus, make haste, and come down; for today I must abide at thy house.”  Jesus wanted to spend time with this person who was so eager to see Him.  “And he made haste, and came down, and received Him joyfully.”  Are you eager?  O weary one, Jesus is eager to meet with you.

 

Time with the Lord is so vital.  I wrote a verse that reflects this:

 

            In the morning when I wake up,

                        I climb the golden stair.

            Oh, the golden stair!

 

            At the top the door swings open,

                        and shines a heavenly light.

            Oh, that heavenly light!

 

            There I find the throne of grace,

                        where sits the Heavenly King.

            Oh, King of my life!

 

            There I pour out my every want,

                        my joys, my sorrows, my cares.

            Oh, even my fears!

 

            Then my heart is always light,

                        and my feet they swiftly fly.

            Oh, swiftly fly!

 

            Oh my friend, if you are weary,

                        there’s room at His throne for you.

            Oh, even for you!

 

            In the morning when I wake up, oh…..

                        Oh, when I wake up!

 

When life throws hurdles at us (as it often does) how much better to face them with your hand already firmly in His, than to wish you had spent more time getting to know Him to begin with.  To have the blessed peace and assurance that your lamp has all the oil it needs, as the wise virgins in Matthew 25:4.

 

Jesus hung on the cross in agony, not only physically, but for the sins that were being committed all around Him.  And because of His great sacrifice, our rewards are many.  If it had not been for His great sacrifice, one-on-one intimate time with Him would not even be possible.  We need daily to pray the prayer of Psalms 139:23-24, “Search me, O God, and know my heart: try me, and know my thoughts: And see if there be any wicked way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.”  And as we confess our sins and break down every barrier that stands between us and God, our joy becomes more full and complete.  I am learning that the more I pray this prayer and God removes those things from my life that come between us, the closer I am drawn to Him, the more my heart is filled with real joy, the more in tune with Him I become.  The more effective I am in His service.  The fuller I praise Him, the closer I walk with Him.

 

I am learning that when the Holy Spirit takes control and we are on fire for the Lord, He burns away our dross.  It is my constant prayer that I will not just rage and consume myself, but that He will enable me to light other torches for Him with each life I touch.

 

                                                                                                Kathryn Scribner

                                                                                                Personal Ministries Leader

 

ADDITIONAL TIPS

 

Following are additional tips that have been a blessing to me in helping me in “Beating the Groggies!”  It is my hope and prayer that they will be a blessing to you too, dear reader.

 

• When you wake up, take a very deep breath and remember Genesis 2:7 when God created Adam and “breathed into his nostrils the breath of life.”

 

• Hebrews 4:16 says, “Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need.”  Turning off the alarm and pulling the covers back around you isn’t exactly coming boldly is it?  We can never “find grace to help” if we don’t “come boldly”.  We will only continue to slumber as did the 5 virgins who missed the wedding in Matthew 25.  A fate worse than death.

 

• “When the trumpet of the Lord shall sound, and time shall be no more, and the morning breaks, eternal, bright and fair,” what will happen if it is your habit to snuggle into the covers for more time to snooze?  (Phrase quoted from Hymn #216 in the Seventh-day Adventist Hymnal.)

 

• There is another hymn in our hymnal, #280 “Come, Ye Sinners”.  The chorus says, “I will arise and go to Jesus, He will embrace me in His arms; In the arms of my dear Savior, O there are ten thousand charms.”  To miss out on our time with Him incurs a great loss as we lose these “ten thousand charms”.

 

• When rising from your bed, picture a rocket in your mind as it slowly rises from the launch pad and keep on moving!

 

•  SDA Bible Commentary, Volume 7, p. 930, “[Christ] is interceding for us.  By His work the threshold of heaven is flushed with the glory of God which will shine upon every soul who will open the windows of the soul heavenward.”  He floods our hearts with the glory of God from the threshold of Heaven!

 

• Jesus was serious about prayer while on this earth.  Luke 6:12 tells us, “And it came to pass in those days, that He went out into a mountain to pray, and continued all night in prayer to God.”

 

• In her book “A Woman’s guide to Fasting”, Lisa E. Nelson writes that there are more ways to fast than just simply giving up food.  It can be a matter of giving up something for a period of time to focus on drawing closer to the Lord.  When you wake up in the morning, why not declare a fast from any additional sleep, and spend that time on your knees in prayer.

 

• Remember Isaiah 64:7-8 which says, “And there is none that calleth upon thy name, that stirreth up himself to take hold of thee: for thou hast hid thy face from us, and hast consumed us, because of our iniquities.  But now, O LORD, thou art our father; we are the clay, and thou our potter; and we all are the work of thy hand.”  Stir yourself up to take hold on Him before this becomes your fate too.  Submit to His molding now.  It is far better to keep our hands firmly in His than to wait until trials assail us and our tremendous lack is driven home to us.

 

• The words of Acts 22:16 were originally spoken to Saul after his sight was restored.  “And now why tarriest thou? arise, and be baptized, and wash away thy sins, calling on the name of the Lord.”  Remember this when you first open your eyes in the morning, and rise from your bed, and plead with the Lord to baptize you anew with His Holy Spirit and wash away your sins.

 

• In John 11:1-44, we read the story of Lazarus.  As soon as Martha heard that Jesus was coming, she went and met Him.  But Mary sat still in the house.  Later when Martha told Mary secretly that Jesus had come, she arose quickly and went to Jesus.  The Jews that were with her in the house saw her get up quickly and go out, and followed her, thinking that she was going to the gravesite.  Imagine being there and not troubling yourself to go with them.  How would you feel later when you heard this story repeated again and again for the remainder of your life?  How Jesus called Lazarus forth from his grave to live again!  Remember this when you wake up in the morning.  Jesus is waiting.  There is much to be gained by meeting with Him, and much to be lost if you don’t.

 

• Psalms 139:2 tells us, “Thou knowest my downsitting and mine uprising, thou understandest my thought afar off.”  He knows when we rise up to meet with Him.  He knows why we don’t.

 

• Remember, Jesus gave up 30 years of His life in paradise to come to this sin darkened world for us.  Surely, we can give up one hour of sleep out of every 24 hours to spend time with Him.

 

• Picture yourself barreling down the highway in your vehicle, and the traffic light suddenly turns red in front of you.  Your foot is frozen on the accelerator, your hands rest on the steering wheel, your eyes stare blankly straight ahead.  You have to move!  If you don’t, disaster is pending to your vehicle and to yourself!  This is how it is when your alarm goes off in the morning.  You have to move.  Disaster is pending if you don’t.  Missing your daily one-on-one time with the Lord is missing out on the very essence of life.

 

• If your life on this planet was to end today, would you want to reach Heaven’s shores knowing that you had missed part (or all) of your time with the Lord that very morning?

 

• God wants us to be like little children.  To respond cheerfully, even excitedly when He asks us to do something.  Can’t you hear them saying, “Can I help?  I want to do it!  Let meeee!”  How often do we tearfully, even mournfully sing, “I’ll go where You want me to go Dear Lord, I’ll do what You want me to do!”  Can’t you just hear God saying, “Oh paa-leese!”  Paul admonishes us in Romans 12:1-2, “I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service.  And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.”  (Phrase quoted from Hymn #573 in the Seventh-day Adventist Hymnal.)

 

• Be done with excuses.  He is calling to you, “Wake up!  I’ve got some amazing stuff to show you this morning.  Come on in here Dear!”