ARE YOU AWAKE?
That is my question to you – are you awake? As a Christian alive in 2021 – are you awake? You might ask me in response – what do you mean, or perhaps, why does that matter?
Definition of awake:
Intransitive verb:
1: to cease sleeping: to wake
2: to become aroused or active again
3: to become conscious or aware of something
Transitive verb:
1: to arouse from sleep or a sleeplike state
2: to make active: to stir up
Is it Biblical to be “awake? Yes, as a matter of fact, it is.
עוּר ʻûwr, HEBREW: ûwr, oor, ur, qum; a primitive root (rather identical with through the idea of opening the eyes); to wake (literally or figuratively):—(a-) wake(-n, up), lift up (self), master, raise (up), stir up (self.
Isaiah uses the Hebrew word “ur” in verse 51:9 -
“Awake, awake, put on strength, O arm of the Lord! Awake, as in days of old, the generations of long ago!”
Also in verse 52:1
“Awake, awake, put on your strength, O Zion! Put on your beautiful garments, O Jerusalem, the holy city; for the uncircumcised and the unclean shall enter you no more.”
The prophet is telling the people to wake up – the Lord is moving! He is telling them the Lord is going to redeem them – how do we know this? Because in chapter 60:1 Isaiah tells us to “Arise (qum) and shine; for your light has come…” this is the foretelling of the coming of the Messiah to ransom his people.
Song of Songs also has the word “ur” in verse 4:16
Awake, O north wind, and come, O south wind! Blow upon my garden that its fragrance may be wafted abroad. Let my beloved come to his garden and eat its choicest fruits.
Again in verse 5:2
“I slept, but my heart was awake. Listen! my beloved is knocking. “Open to me, my sister, my love, my dove, my perfect one; for my head is wet with dew, my locks with the drops of the night.”
The book Song of Songs is the love story of the Bride and her Bridegroom and that we, the body of Christ, the church, are the bride and Jesus is our adoring Bridegroom. Our hearts need to be awake to fully receive the love that Jesus wants to lavish on His bride. We have to be awake to His presence and the time we can spend with Him.
King David exhorts in Psalms 57:8
“Awake, my soul! Awake, O harp and lyre! I will awake the dawn.”
He uses almost the exact words in
Psalms 108:2 “Awake, O harp and lyre! I will awake the dawn.”
We know that David was an extravagant worshipper of the Lord. The Lord loved him for his worship and joy. David is showing us here the importance of being awake, of awakening our souls to worship the Lord. In both of these passages, he mentions awaking the dawn. Who does the dawn lead us to? Jesus! The morning star is the herald of the dawn. And Jesus is the morning star.
Revelation 22:16
I, Jesus, have sent My angel to testify to you and to give you assurance of these things for the churches. I am the Root (the Source, the Life) and the Offspring of David, the radiant and bright Morning Star.
So we can see the prophets and kings of the Old Testament are telling us to wake up. Wake up for the glory of God is coming. Wake up and worship Him, wake up and be prepared to be His bride.
Now let’s take look at the New Testament. We change words, we are no longer in Hebrew, but we now see the Greek word egeiro -
GREEK: ἐγείρω egeírō, eg-i'-ro; to waken (transitively or intransitively), i.e. rouse (literally, from sleep, from sitting or lying, from disease, from death; or figuratively, from obscurity, inactivity, ruins, nonexistence):—awake, lift (up), raise (again, up), rear up, (a-)rise (again, up), stand, take up.
We see Luke use this word describing the Mt. of Transfiguration.
Luke 9:32
Now Peter and those who were with him had been overcome with sleep; but when they were fully awake, they saw His glory and splendor and majesty, and the two men who were standing with Him.
Paul is very clear in telling us to wake up.
In Romans 13:11-14 he begins the chapter by telling us our responsibility to civil authorities and move on to love and living in the light.
These are his words –
To live like this is all the more urgent, for time is running out and you know it is a strategic hour in human history. It is time for us to wake up! For our full salvation is nearer now than when we first believed. Night’s darkness is dissolving away as a new day of destiny dawns. So we must once and for all strip away what is done in the shadows of darkness, removing it like filthy clothes. And once and for all we clothe ourselves with the radiance of light as our weapon. We must live honorably, surrounded by the light of this new day, not in the darkness of drunkenness and debauchery, not in promiscuity and sensuality, not being argumentative or jealous of others.
Instead fully immerse yourselves into the Lord Jesus, the Anointed One, and don’t waste even a moment’s thought on your former identity to awaken its selfish desires.
Paul tells us in his letter to the Ephesians 5:14
“This is why the Scripture says,
“Arise, you sleeper! Rise up from your coffin and the Anointed One will shine his light into you!”
Paul tells us in these verses to wake up and live in the light of Jesus Christ. He tells us not to be “fooled by those who speak their empty words and deceptive teachings telling you otherwise”
All of these passages lead us to the revelation that we must be awake, we must become conscious and aware of our surroundings. We must be aroused and active again. As members of the body of Christ, we must be active in arousing the rest of the body. Many prophetic voices are speaking of a new great awakening, a new revival. Can we be a part of this if we ourselves are not awake? Can we stay asleep and drowsy when the glory of God is amongst us? I would say, no we cannot.
The Bible clearly tells us that we must be awake, we must rise up, we must be active to be a part of God’s glory on earth.
Come be awake with Trumpets of Tirzah!
It's our mission to awaken women leaders all over this earth!
Arise and shine! We aren’t guaranteed another day to make a difference.