Ever experienced a “rude
awakening?” The residents of Napa, California sure had one the other day
when a 6.7 earthquake struck their area about 3:30 in the morning. It’s
my barely-educated opinion that a “rude awakening” can many times be an
“epiphany.” I’ll let you look up the definition of epiphany. A
“rude awakening” is described as being “something that occurs abruptly and is
disconcerting.” Sort of like a shock to the system.
Those of you who have
military experience can easily relate to something shocking your system when
you recall your first few “reveilles.” (They also occur in the wee hours
of the morning). But, whether you were in the military or not, we’ve all
had “rude awakenings” in our lives. Many of them came with words from a
doctor’s mouth. I personally fall into both the military and the medical
types of “rude awakenings.”
Just last May, while
driving through the picturesque town of Pueblo, Colorado my truck provided
me with a mechanical “rude awakening” by suddenly slowing itself down to about
30 miles per hour and would not go any faster. Trust me, when you’re
driving about 70 MPH to keep up with about 400 motorcycles which you are
supporting and suddenly they are disappearing in the distance, it’s a “rude
awakening.” (3 days and 2 dealerships later we were back in normal
operating procedure).
That last “rude
awakening” of mine “awakened” something else in me. The desire to throw a
hissy-fit and speak bad words about trucks and mechanical things in
general. That’s a behavior not becoming a Christian and it’s my humble
thinking that most of us sometimes have trouble in this realm too. When
we start to lean towards that sort of conduct it becomes something that we have
to guard against, doesn’t it?
Thinking about “leaning”
in a worldly direction brings to mind a story I once read about an old elder of
the church who would always pray: “Lord, prop us up on our leanin’ side.”
Someone finally asked him about these words in his prayers and he replied with
the following explanation.
He answered, “Well sir,
you see, it’s like this. I got an old barn out back and it’s been there a
long time. It’s withstood a lot of weather. It’s gone through a lot
of storms and it’s stood for many years. It’s still standing, but one day
I noticed that it was leaning to one side a bit. So I went and got some
poles and propped it up on its leaning side so it wouldn’t fall.
Then I got to thinking
about that and how much I was like that old barn. I been around a long
time. I’ve withstood a lot of life’s storms. I’ve withstood a lot
of the bad weather of life. I’ve withstood a lot of hard times and I’m
still standing too. But I find myself leaning to one side from time to
time, so I like to ask the Lord to prop us up on our leanin’ side, ‘cause I
figure a lot of us get to leanin’ at times.”
I don’t know about you,
but I think the old elder is right. Sometimes we get to leaning in a
direction that we shouldn’t be and we need to be strengthened in that area of
our lives. We need to be “propped up.” Don’t we hear prayers for
strength being offered all the time? Think about it, we don’t need
strength where we’re strong. We need propping up in the areas where we’re
weak.
And, there’s something
else to think about along this line too. I know that I can look around
me, and you can do the same, and see a lot of people that need some propping up
too. Many need it on all sides. But also what I’ve noticed is that
they don’t seem to care or believe that they need the Lord for anything.
I see them as being like those Solomon talks about in Prov. 12:15. Those “right in their own eyes.”
They just don’t see themselves as leaning in the wrong direction.
Solomon tells us that
these types of people are “fools”
when they think this way. I see this as being especially true in the case
of those who believe that if they look religious, say things that sound
religious and maybe attend a church on Christmas or Easter, then they’ll be
okay with God.
By my study of God’s
Word I believe that those folks have a “rude awakening” coming some day.
Without citing a lot of scripture to support that belief, let me just provide
you with one that is totally sufficient for that purpose. “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord,
Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my
Father who is in heaven. On that day many will say to me, ‘Lord, Lord,
did we not prophesy in your name and cast out demons in your name and do many
mighty works in your name?’ And then will I declare to them, ‘I never
knew you, depart from me, you workers of lawlessness.” (Matt.
7:21-23) ESV
Now the sad thing about
their “rude awakening” is that time won’t “heal” the suffering brought on by
this awakening because on “that
day” time, as we know it, ceases to be and the suffering that
begins by that “rude awakening” will never end. It will go on
forever. Think about a picture presented by the Napa earthquake: the
shaking will go on forever.
The dictionary’s
description of a “rude awakening” being “disconcerting” is too mild a word for
this particular “awakening.” Somehow, I just don’t picture eternal
punishment in Satan’s hell to be “disconcerting.” Their system will
be eternally shocked.
In “that day” I’m certain that
they’ll wish that they’d have been “propped up” on any side that was leaning
away from God. I know that I want the “props” of God under me when those
occasions come on me that I begin to lean away from Him. I also think that
all of us who care about being pleasing to God want His support when we start
to spiritually sag at times. Because we’re human beings, creatures, and
we will sometimes sag.
Respectfully submitted,
Ron Covey
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