This blog post is associated with the podcast that can be found here:
https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/shining-river9/episodes/11-Wake-Up-e2ib09u
Sorry this blog entry took so LONG to get posted! Taxes caused an extra delay, but now, this is ready to be posted after an important housekeeping issue:
This week is a bit different than my normal routine, because TOMORROW (4/18/2024) is going to be my “Third Thursdays at Three” in-home mini concert, so I hope you can either join me for that live or watch the replay afterward. Here’s a direct link:
Hope to see you there!!!
Shaken
Have you ever had seeming coincidences in your life shake you up a little? Has the earth ever seemed to shift beneath your feet? Have you ever wondered if God were trying to get your attention? Is your spiritual alarm clock ringing, as if to say “Wake UP!”?
In preparing for this blog (and the associated podcast), these past few weeks have been very “interesting”, because I had recorded the original version of the Wake Up podcast several weeks back, as part of what I had THOUGHT was going to be a little series about listening to the Lord. If you listened to or read my entry a few weeks back called “Flames”, you may remember that the fire across the street from our house already broke up that little series with another odd type of “word” for my heart from happenings beyond my control. Those types of things have continued to happen, and when they seem possibly to be relevant to anyone besides myself, I will share them.
Wake Up Call
This “Wake Up” episode is like that. I had already recorded a simple word for my podcast about the difference between what the “world” would call being “woke” as opposed to what the Lord would emphasize so often in the scriptures about being and staying “awake”. I’m no expert on the world’s lingo, nor do I desire to be. But in my heart, the calling to be “awake” in Jesus and follow after Him is of utmost importance, even when the ways of the world would try to lull me to sleep through grief (as with Peter and the others whom the Lord asked to stay awake with Him on the night before His crucifixion), or through distraction (the story of my life sometimes)! I believe He is not only calling those who have not yet come to know Him to WAKE UP, but also in many ways, He is similarly calling to His own children, the Church.
The culture’s emphasis on changing terms that have long been pillars of Christianity seems to come from a desire to corrupt the true meanings slightly, and give us only a small portion of Truth. So being “woke” becomes better than simply being “awake” as Jesus urges. Well, The Lord seemed to be giving me a wake up call in recent events, and perhaps it’s for many others as well! Right before I was going to finally put out this “Wake Up” episode’s podcast, there were a couple of events that made me actually record a whole new part of it, and the original thoughts about being “awake” were brought into even more clarity.
Scripture Passages
The original scriptures I’d read in that first recording session (all ESV).
Isaiah 26:19
“Your dead shall live; their bodies shall rise. You who dwell in the dust, awake and sing for joy! For your dew is a dew of light, and the earth will give birth to the dead.”
Mark 13:35-37
“Therefore, stay awake—for you do not know when the master of the house will come, in the evening, or at midnight, or when the rooster crows, or in the morning—lest he come suddenly and find you asleep. And what I say to you I say to all: Stay awake.”
1 Peter 5:8
“Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour.”
Ephesians 5:1-21
“Therefore, be imitators of God, as beloved children. And walk in love, as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us, a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God.
But sexual immorality and all impurity or covetousness must not even be named among you, as is proper among saints. Let there be no filthiness nor foolish talk nor crude joking, which are out of place, but instead let there be thanksgiving. For you may be sure of this, that everyone who is sexually immoral or impure, or who is covetous (that is, an idolater), has no inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and God. Let no one deceive you with empty words, for because of these things the wrath of God comes upon the sons of disobedience. Therefore do not become partners with them; for at one time you were darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Walk as children of light (for the fruit of light is found in all that is good and right and true), and try to discern what is pleasing to the Lord. Take no part in the unfruitful works of darkness, but instead expose them. For it is shameful even to speak of the things that they do in secret. But when anything is exposed by the light, it becomes visible, for anything that becomes visible is light. Therefore it says,
‘Awake, O sleeper, and arise from the dead, and Christ will shine on you.’
Look carefully then how you walk, not as unwise but as wise, making the best use of the time, because the days are evil. Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the will of the Lord is. And do not get drunk with wine, for that is debauchery, but be filled with the Spirit, addressing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody to the Lord with your heart, giving thanks always and for everything to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, submitting to one another out of reverence for Christ.”
When I had originally recorded that first half of this blog’s associated “Wake Up” podcast, I had no idea of what was going to happen in the coming weeks or how incredibly relevant those events would be. But the Lord knew. It may seem like a strange “coincidence”, and I hesitate to share things like this sometimes. At the same time, there may be someone who NEEDS to hear or read these things, so if that’s you or a loved one of yours, that’s why it’s being shared.
A Coincidental Eclipse
Along with the fire that had happened after that original recording, two other big events happened. The associated “Wake Up” podcast that was finally posted last week was recorded right after the solar eclipse that most people had at least known about. Also, several days prior to that, there had been an earthquake here in NJ. Both of those things were unexpected to me. The eclipse was not something on my radar, because I wasn’t paying attention until right beforehand. (And maybe in the spiritual realms, it would be good for all of us to WAKE UP and pay attention, seeing the signs of the times. If you hear Him calling to you to wake up as you read any of this, please pay attention to Him. Don’t ignore Him; don’t stiff arm Him; don’t discount that inner calling in your heart, that yearning for Him. Sit up, look to Him and pay attention.)
The earthquake totally hit all of us by surprise, of course, because those types of events occur regardless of our foreknowledge or preparation. We simply have to be alert in the spirit so we can respond to life’s occurrences in real time.
The couple of little things that registered in my heart from those two happenings? As far as the eclipse, it looked as though we’d have a clear view to it, as the morning was bright and sunny that day. By the time the eclipse began though, the clouds had begun to arrive, so it was only partially visible (but it was kind of nice, because it was a bit safer and possible to look up at it briefly because it was filtered). The image of all of that reminded me of how the evil one sometimes tries to block out our view of the Lord and His light. Yet he really has no power to do so. Satan is so much smaller than the Lord, and his efforts are so very temporary (praise the Lord).
If in your life, evil things have been blocking out the light of Life and the goodness of God, may they pass by as quickly as that moon passed by the sun, and may you see the light of Christ shining brightly in your life.
Rattles and Rumbles
The other thing relates to those past episodes in which the strange “rattle” sound was discussed, and having that quiet place in our hearts where the beautiful sounds of heaven can cancel out the cacophony produced by this world. (If you want to check those out, go back and begin with the episode called “Listen”.)
This scripture had been part of my daily Bible reading during the days before recording the second half of the Wake Up podcast, and hearkened back to the “noise” of the world:
Psalm 55:2-3
“Attend to me and answer me. I am restless in my complaint and I moan, because of the noise of the enemy, because of the oppression of the wicked, for they drop trouble upon me, and in anger they bear a grudge against me.”
On the morning of the earthquake, my hubby was working in one room of our house, and I in another. At one point, I went into the room where he was, to let him know I’d be going out for a Music Therapy session later that day. Upon entering the room, there was a huge and extended rumbling noise and sensation, and I wondered what on EARTH was going on in there! After a few stunned moments, it eventually dawned on us that it was indeed an earthquake, which was later confirmed in the media.
Later, I went to the Music Therapy session and after that, went grocery shopping. It was a “different” kind of day here in NJ to be sure! (We’re wimps when it comes to earthquakes, because they are very rare here, and ours are usually about 2.5 or so and barely noticeable. This one was 4.8, so most people felt it unless they were driving or similarly engaged physically with movement or noise already in their environment.)
The most interesting part happened when I arrived back home from grocery shopping, however.
After pulling into the garage and pulling down the garage door, my husband came rushing down the stairs and asked me if I’d felt it. I wondered, “Felt what?” He was coming down quickly to be sure the rumbling he heard and felt was just me putting down the garage door, because he said “We just had another one”. I must have been driving at the time, because I didn’t feel it.
What hit home with me was the wording that he used to describe it. If you’ve read the earlier blogs or listened to the prior podcasts, this is where it relates in an uncanny way, because of the specific terms that he used and the particulars of the situation.
He told me that this time, he had been sitting in the living room when it happened (this aftershock was officially not as strong, only being 4.0). Even though it was not as strong as the first one, he said this one felt worse. The way he described it sounded more like your typical earthquake, but the words he used (at least twice and maybe more) struck me because of those prior podcast/blog entries. He said everything was “rattling”.
His choice of the word “rattling” shook me a little (pun intended;). Again, I realize it’s all just happenstance, and maybe ALL of these things were just coincidence… At the same time, if you’ve been following along with the past few episodes, and remember that weird rattle that was happening that solidified a word picture about sitting still and listening to the Lord in the midst of a noisy world. That rattle has remained utterly elusive for me to capture on video to prove. It happened only in those moments, for long enough for me to “get it” as far as the word picture.
And now a few weeks later, the earth should literally SHAKE and cause my husband to hear an even more profound and noticeable RATTLE?!!! Sorry, it just seems to beg the question in the spiritual realms:
My friend, do you hear … do you hear rumblings? … Have you felt or heard rumblings in the distance … maybe rumblings of His love? Maybe rumblings of His righteousness? Maybe rumblings of His jealousy for your affections?
Time to Wake Up
Not long ago, we celebrated Easter Sunday. On that very day, people high up in our government proclaimed that that was a day to celebrate things that are against God. We need to wake up as a culture. God will not be mocked. He really cares about true Love, about us truly being “one with Him”, about us actually knowing the “Truth” and knowing Him and seeking Him.
And He really cares about us being awake, because the evil one would pull the wool over our eyes in an instant if we let him.
With the story about the eclipse earlier…. In our neighborhood, our vision of that eclipse was a bit obscured by thin clouds, so we could only sort of see what was happening. Some of us are like that in the spirit, we sort of see that things are a little bit dark or gloomy, but we’re not sure what is truly going on. Wherever you’re at in the Spirit, whether you see clearly that the evil one is trying to block out the Light, or whether there’s just some discontentment over all, remember the evil one’s effect is only temporary, and look to the Light of Jesus, seek Him out.
And listen for the rumblings BEFORE it becomes … your whole life, in the “living room” of your life, starts to rattle. If it’s already rattling for you, WAKE UP! Because who knows what’s coming down the pike? Everything could be destroyed if a “real” spiritual earthquake, a “BIG one” were to come.
So, my urging to all of us, including our very country is to WAKE UP and follow after Him, before it’s too late. He loves a humble and contrite heart. He loves a repentant heart, a humble person who would look for Him and realize we do NOT know it all. And we NEED to seek Him, in His word and by His Holy Spirit. Even the Church in many instances has become so corrupted. We need to look to Jesus, the One who calls our hearts.
Let us wake up, Church, friends who don’t know Jesus; let us wake up before it’s too late and the earth gives way. One way or another, He loves you enough to wake you and call to you to follow only Him.
He is the Friend who will be with us to the very end, no matter what. Call out to Him now.
Psalm 57:7-11 (When David was fleeing from Saul, in the cave, after expressing his profound distress earlier in the Psalm…)
“My heart is steadfast, O God, my heart is steadfast! I will sing and make melody! Awake my glory! Awake, O harp and lyre! I will awake the dawn! I will give thanks to you, O Lord, among the peoples; I will sing praises to you among the nations. For your steadfast love is great to the heavens, your faithfulness to the clouds. Be exalted, O God, above the heavens! Let your glory be over all the earth!”
Follow Me
The song associated with this blog post is “Follow Me”, with words adapted from Song Of Solomon 2:10-13.
In part, the lyrics say “Follow Me! Jesus calls to His beloved Church: Arise! His Spirit calls to her yearning heart: Rejoice! He cries out to her sleeping eyes: ‘Awake; arise, My beautiful one, My bride, and follow Me. Come with Me. Follow Me!’”
May we always and ever stay alert, awake, and follow after Him. Amen.
“Follow Me” is from Lisa’s Sacred Sojourn–Follow Me CD–available at
shiningriver.com/store
This song is available for preview and digital download at the following page:
https://lisaprokopowitz.bandcamp.com/track/follow-me
To join Lisa for her upcoming livestream concert on 4/18/2024 at 3:00 PM Eastern Time, click the following link on that day/time:
https://www.youtube.com/live/twsnLSXxm74?si=Bc2j_lcjEM-ull5_