Why Are You Sleeping? Get Up and Pray!

Nehemiah 1; Nehemiah 2; Psalm 133; Luke 22
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Scripture

Luke 22

Jesus Prays on the Mount of Olives

39 Jesus went out as usual to the Mount of Olives, and his disciples followed him. 40 On reaching the place, he said to them, "Pray that you will not fall into temptation." 41 He withdrew about a stone's throw beyond them, knelt down and prayed, 42 "Father, if you are willing, take this cup from me; yet not my will, but yours be done." 43 An angel from heaven appeared to him and strengthened him. 44 And being in anguish, he prayed more earnestly, and his sweat was like drops of blood falling to the ground.
45 When he rose from prayer and went back to the disciples, he found them asleep, exhausted from sorrow. 46 "Why are you sleeping?" he asked them. "Get up and pray so that you will not fall into temptation."

Observation

“Why are you sleeping? Get up and pray!” Has the Lord been saying that to you lately? I woke up this morning and I was impressed to pray for two men in China that are being tortured for our faith. It is not just their faith; it is our faith! These two men and thousands of others in China are paying a huge price to take the Gospel to that huge nation while we sleep in comfort. Jesus made a decision to go out and sleep each night in the Mount of Olives while most of Jerusalem slept in the comfort of their homes.

When I wake up like this morning and it is early, when most of our neighbors are still asleep, many times it is because God wants me to pray for folks and He places the names of those folks on my heart. This is the first time I have ever been impressed to pray for specific believers in China. You can read the news release about their plight by just clicking on this sentence. The Olympics are in China in 2008. Did he place these men on my heart because He wants me to be a witness in that place? Would I be willing to go? How about you?


Application

I will begin to read and find out about this event in China and I will seek God’s face. And if He wants me to go to China or somewhere else in this world then I know He will continue to speak to my heart. I just listened to a message this morning by a guy named Mark Cahill on GodTube.com. It is 30 minutes long, but it is a powerful message about reaching this world for Christ. I highly recommend it.

Prayer

Heavenly Father, you are at work in my life and I give you praise. Thank you for challenging me with what I have read about other Christians suffering for your sake in China. Use those believers in a mighty way. God speak to thousands of other Christians just like you did me this morning. When they wake up may they think about your work around the world. Give us your heart today Lord. Give us your heart. Don’t let us continue to sleep. Get us up to seek your face. Amen.



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