DIG
IT
Wake
Up and
Watch
I WONDER HOW OFTEN JESUS CALLS US TO BE
AWARE OF WHAT HE IS DOING AROUND US.
This reminded me of my favourite
Doctor Who t-shirt which says, “I
might look like I’m listening to you
but in my head I’m travelling through
space and time.”
Giving people our full attention these
days is not easy, is it?
W
hen my daughter was two
she loved to talk and talk.
One day she was chatting
away and I did that thing many parents
do. I let my mind wander far far away,
while muttering things like, “uh huh”,
“really?” and “how interesting”. My
daughter stopped talking and then a
couple of minutes later asked, “Daddy
what does the word ignoring mean?”
H ey, get a load
of this, I'm doing
something pretty
amazing over here.
It reminds me of a story in the Bible
where Jesus was in the Garden of
Gethsemane, preparing to face death
on to a cross. His soul is overwhelmed
with anguish (sweat like drops of
blood fell to the ground!). He gathered
his mates Peter, James and John and
asked them to keep watch. They fell
asleep. He woke them and asked them
again. They fell asleep. He checked
again and they were again asleep.
Understandably, Jesus was upset.
“Wake up! Couldn’t you men keep
watch for one hour?!”
Maybe they were too exhausted.
They’d just had a big meal, bread and
wine – maybe their communion cups
were bigger than the fairy-sized ones
in my church. Maybe they were willing
and committed but simply incapable
of hanging in there. Maybe they
didn’t care. They mustn’t have
realised the seriousness and
importance of what Jesus
was asking.
Come and see me
bring transformation
to this relationship.
Jesus had good reasons for
them to be aware to what
was going on. God was about to
make his Big Move and Jesus was right
in the thick of it. He longed for their
attention and companionship.
I wonder how often Jesus calls us to be
aware of what He is doing around us.
Can you recall or imagine Him prompting,
“Hey, get a load of this, I’m doing
something pretty amazing over here”, or
“Come and see me bring transformation
to this relationship”, or “Join me in
bringing hope to that community”?
Sadly, we’re also likely to hear the
disappointment in His words, “Wake
up! Pay attention! Couldn’t you keep
watch?!” How often are we too tired,
too distracted or too ambivalent to
give Jesus our attention?
Peter, James and John didn’t have
a copy of Resonate to refer to, but
you do! These tips might help you be
attentive to Jesus’ promptings.
›› Check your priorities. Jesus urges
his friends not to worry about things
like food, drink or clothes. Being
consumed by materialism takes us
away from the stuff that matters.
›› Carve out time for undistracted,
focused prayer. Jesus said, “My
sheep listen to my voice; I know
them, and they follow me.”
›› Meditate on the Bible, learn about its
context and journal its application.
›› Ask your Christian friends questions
like, “What do you reckon Jesus is
saying to you?”
›› Look for opportunities to love people
around you (and those far away…
this is a mission mag after all!)
REV ROB TANNER
resonate · issue 27 · page 15