"Are you awake?" my youngest son nervously asked as we drove home.
"Yes, Andrew, I'm awake and fully alert,” I responded.
A few hours before this question, I did something I'd never done before. As we had embarked on our 8.5-hour trip home, I moved the clock back three hours. Why? We were going to get in very late, 2.5 hours past midnight, and I was the only driver. It was just me and my two boys (11 and 12 years old), and I thought turning the clock back three hours would help us mentally. It did!
As I drove home, every time I looked at the clock, I already felt better because it seemed like three hours earlier. Also, a few hours into our trip, my youngest said, "Daddy, moving the clock back is actually helping. I feel better about when we are getting home." Even though we didn't have that extra time, our minds said we did, which positively impacted us. When midnight rolled in, and we still had 2.5 hours to go, I was awake, alert, and easily able to continue driving home.
How often have you been on the road driving somewhere, and you needed to be awake at midnight? Maybe you were almost to your destination, or maybe you needed to drive a few more hours or go through the night. Whatever the case, it was vital for you to be awake at midnight.
Almost Midnight in the Great Clock of Time
It is almost midnight in the great clock of time. We are very close, extremely close, to the second coming of Jesus Christ. Are you awake?
The signs are all around us. God is awakening people and preparing them to be ready before midnight to give the last message to the world right before Jesus comes back.
How many hours or minutes before midnight do we have? No one knows except our heavenly Father (Matthew 24:36). The key is to be awake now before midnight. When midnight comes, we cannot turn the clock back. It will be too late.
"But know this, that if the master of the house had known in what part of the night the thief was coming, he would have stayed awake and would not have let his house be broken into. Therefore you also must be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect" (Matthew 24:43-44 ESV emphasis added).
Are you awake? Are your family members awake? What about your neighbors and friends?
Call to Action
How do we become “awakened” to a relationship with the King of Kings? Know Jesus as your friend. Ask the Holy Spirit to lead you (Zechariah 10:1, Luke 11:9-13). Give all of your life, 100% of it to Jesus. Go deeper into spending time with Jesus, such as a spiritual 24-hour retreat with Him. Ask God how you can be a faithful friend to Him.
Read God's Word. Listen to the Holy Spirit-you may need to wait patiently for this. Follow Jesus wherever He leads you.
Grow daily in your friendship with Jesus, and you will be awake when midnight comes.
