Conscious and Unconscious

My daughter’s Senior Pastor at her church at Bethel in Redding, CA, has told this story many times, and it’s also been told of many who know him well.  During the evening when he is sound asleep he has been known to “talk out loud” and it’s often prayers he’s praying or worship he is uttering that he is not even conscious of.  He has said before that he is often “awaken in the night” praying.  By this he explains, “it’s not that I wake up TO pray, it’s that I literally awaken myself because I am ALREADY praying.”

Oh to be THAT conscious of God even when I am asleep!  It is the prayer of my heart since I heard of this great possibility.

And so I began the practice in my own life.  This sort of “deliberate” realigning of my thoughts in the night.  Lately when I have been awakened in the evening for whatever reason, I intentionally shift my focus to Him.  And I could feel myself doing it in the hospital room a few nights ago.  When I was having a hard time sleeping because of the loud commotion just outside of my room, and the beeping and buzzing noises within my own room, I found myself shifting my gaze on Him.  And even there I was able to align my thoughts to Him.  And in the dead of night I repeated the words over and over again, ‘Thank you Jesus!  Thank you for even this… if it draws me closer to You!”

I would think about this just days after studying in 2 Timothy, chapter 4.  Laying on a cold, dark jail cell that would be his last residence before his earthy demise, Paul was penning a letter to his spiritual son, Timothy, and he says, “The first time I was brought before the judge, no one came with me.  Everyone abandoned me.  BUT THE LORD stood with me and gave me strength.”

One of my commentaries says this, “It is recorded of a good man that on his last day he is passed in unconsciousness.”  The commentator is recalling a time when a man was asked on his deathbed if he was “thinking of Jesus today.”  To which he answered, “When I am conscious I am thinking of Jesus; when I am unconscious Jesus is thinking of me!”


Wow.

This is so good friends!

And I would think about any of us who are going through a trial of any kind.  Oh that we would live consciously aware of Him even then… no… especially then!

Psalm 17:15 says this, “Because I am righteous, I will see you. When I awake, I will see you face to face and be satisfied.”

“When I awake… I will see You face to face!”

Oh may it be said of us - - when we are awake we are thinking of Jesus.
And when it’s hard… when difficulty arises… or when sleep has come over us from in one way or another… that we would hold confident that He is thinking of us!  And caring for us.  And protecting us.  And providing for us!

So that one the moment we are AWAKEN from slumber… we see Him face to face and are satisfied.