“Why are you sleeping? Rise and pray that you may not enter into temptation.” Luke 22:46 ESV
My Momma was a happy riser. She woke up smiling and singing, and she expected the same from her daughters. She’d announce the day by throwing open the curtains in my room to welcome the sun, singing in her never-quiet voice, “Rise and shine and give God the glory!” For variety, she’d sometimes sing “You are My Sunshine” or the old hymn “Sunlight (1897).”
Sleepy eyes, bed-matted hair, or grumpy spirits were not acceptable at the breakfast table. When it was time to rise, Momma expected smiling, wide-awake children ready to greet the new day and get moving.
When I hear the word “rise” used or read about “rising,” my first thought is that an action of some sort is about to take place. Scripture has further reinforced my expectation that when we are instructed to rise, action is typically expected to follow. We rarely, if ever, are told to rise so that we can stand still and do nothing.
- At the beginning of Israel’s long-delayed entry into the Promised Land, God instructed them to rise up, enter the Promised Land, prepare for battle, and begin taking possession of the land (Deuteronomy 2:13, 24).
- When wicked King Herod was killing all baby boys two years old and under, an angel of the Lord tells Joseph to rise immediately to take Mary and baby to Egypt to save Jesus from the wicked King. (Matthew 2:13).
- Jesus told the healed paralytic man to rise, pick up his bed, return home (Mark 2:11). He instructed the only leper (of ten), who had returned to thank Jesus for healing, to rise, return home a healed man (Luke 17:19).
- In the Garden of Gethsemane, Jesus found His disciples asleep, instead of at prayer, He told them to wake up, rise, and pray so that they wouldn’t fall into temptation (Luke 22:46)
These are only a few examples where God’s people are told to rise or rise up which is then followed by a statement of expectation or instruction of action of some sort.
Believers are not intended to be “bed rotting” people. Have you heard of that term? It’s a Gen Z embraced trend of spending an extended period in bed to do low energy activities like scrolling and watching shows; it’s generally a retreat from life. It’s promoted as self-care to combat burnout, stress, and the pressures of life. But it carries the dangerous potential of further spiraling practitioners into depression, anxiety, isolation, and self-esteem issues.
Most of us aren’t Gen Z’ers, so we roll our eyes at the trend as we roll up our sleeves to keep up with real life.
I think we should pause to ask ourselves if we don’t at times fall into that retreat mode in our spiritual lives. We get stuck either in a figurative “sleep” mode or in the “rise” mode, never moving on to the action mode.
We say we love God. We say that we want to be obedient followers of Christ. But we get stuck in “sleep” mode—neutral, going nowhere, accomplishing nothing. Works do not save us, but they do demonstrate that we are awake—alive in Christ and taking obedient action.
James says that faith without works is dead (James 2:17). Our obedient and godly actions and behaviors are evidence that our faith is awake, alive, and flourishing.
Are you stuck in “sleep” mode in your spiritual life?
Did you obey the command to wake up and “rise,” but now you’re stuck standing still – unable to move forward?
It is NEVER too late to rise up and move forward in your walk with Christ.
God’s instructions to Israel in Deuteronomy (2:13, 24) hold great meaning for us today: Rise up, set out on the journey that God has assigned to you. Take possession of all that God offers to you: His Holy Spirit will equip you for the battles of your journey and He will give you opportunities to serve Him and others beyond anything you can ever imagine or achieve on your own.
Rise up. Start walking. Allow God’s Holy Spirit and His Word to lead you according to His purpose for you, which was determined before the beginning of time.
“[God] Who saved us and called us to a holy calling, not because of our works but because of His own purpose and grace, which He gave us in Christ Jesus before the ages began.” 2 Timothy 1:9 ESV