How Does God Awaken You to Glory?
March 03, 2022
How Does God Awaken You to Glory?
By Brooke Holt
“Now Peter and those who were with him were heavy with sleep, but when they became fully awake they saw his glory and the two men who stood with him.” - Luke 9:32
It is far too easy to float through life in a spiritual fog, not clearly attuned to the Lord. Many things vie for our attention—work, family, politics, sports, and entertainment. Endless diversions captivate our hearts, minds, and time. Even seemingly good things can dull us from seeing the glory of the Lord. As with the disciples in this passage, those things lull us to sleep.
Exhausted from the busyness of life, we skip our quiet times. Sunday worship can be replaced by children’s sports or the need to get caught up on work, grocery shopping, or laundry. Bible study and fellowship with God’s people get pushed out of our schedules. Every distraction fills our lives with noise that dulls our awareness, attention, and connection to the Lord.
Peter, James, and John had been climbing throughout the night, and they were tired. Beyond their physical exhaustion, they fought the emotional exhaustion of trying to understand why Jesus said that he must suffer and die. These men were overwhelmed, so they did what most of us would do. They took a nap.
Luke does not tell us what awakened the disciples, but once they were awake, they saw the Son’s glory. Just imagine if they had not awakened—they would have missed a life-changing experience with Jesus!
The vagueness of this part of the narrative lends itself to an important question: What will it take for God to awaken you to see his glory? Are you heavy with sleep these days? Why? What does God want you to know about the things that captivate your mind, heart, time, and energy? Are you missing the glory of God because you are preoccupied with the things of this world?
There is no condemnation in Christ (Romans 8:1). Instead, there is an invitation to spiritual awakening, to set our minds on the things of the Spirit (Romans 8:5–6). What better season for that awakening than the season of Lent? It is a wonderful opportunity to recognize the things that draw you away from seeing, hearing, and responding to the Word of the Lord and the revelations of his glory.
During these forty days before Easter, take time to reconnect with God. Make time in your schedule to be still before him, to allow him to reveal those things that captivate your life, and to repent of anything that takes precedence over him. The Lord longs to use this season to awaken you to his glory, to empower you to walk more faithfully with him, and to experience the fullness of life that only he can bring.
Reflection:
Set aside some time today to consider the things that captivate your heart, mind, and time. What does the Lord want you to know about these things? How would he like to realign your life this Lenten season so that you live more fully awake to him? We would love to hear your thoughts in the comments.
Related Resource:
The Crucified Life small group Christian study is designed to reflect upon the Seven Last Words of Christ from the cross and what they mean for us today. Walk the road of Calvary with Jesus in order to grow closer to Him. The Crucified Life small group study examines human suffering as it is mirrored in Christ’s suffering on the cross and what His seven last words say to a hurting world. Find out incredible insights into these words as Jesus teaches us, even in death, how we can use our suffering and triumph over it for His glory.
Begin your Crucified Life today.
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