AWAKE, SLEEPER!

Wherefore he saith, “Awake thou that sleepest, and arise from the dead, and Christ shall give thee light.” Ephesians 5:14 (KJV)

Long before alarm clocks were dependable and affordable, people needed a way to awaken on time. During the Industrial Revolution people began to work in factories and mills. They needed to be on time for work, especially with shifts starting in early morning. In England, a solution to the problem was created by hiring someone referred to as a knocker-up. These knocker-ups would be paid a few pennies a week to rouse people from their sleep. Knocker-ups would use long poles to tap on peoples’ windows. When the person woke he/she had to go to the window and give a gesture to show that they were awake so they could move on to the next house.

There was a lady from the East End of London named Mary Smith. She used dried peas and shot them at her clients’ windows through a rubber tube. Mrs. Mary Smith must have been quite skilled with her pea shooter to hit all those windows.

Do you ever feel like God is shooting peas at your windows trying to wake you a little each day? I often have those experiences with God. They are alarms going off in me. They stir me, disturb me, incite me and revive me. The Holy Spirit wants to arouse us, and Jesus wants to teach us how fresh and new each day can be with Him.

We have come a long way since the days of a knocker-up. Our inventions come and go, but the best alarm of all is when God chooses to Wake you.

Good morning Lord, may I find you awakening my spirit with a new truth I need to know.  

© 2016 Kimberly Clayton