WHEN STAYING AWAKE IS IN VAIN
Written by Senior Pastor Ndayiragije-Misigaro Joel, February 14, 2023
“They who build the home labor in vain; he who keeps the city awake at night does it in vain unless the Lord builds it.” (Psalm 127:1)
INTRODUCTION.
There is no way to wait on God and not notice a difference. Is God attempting to tell you something through your suffering that will give you a reason to believe? Is there anything else you can take away from this experience? What is it that you believe in—your core belief system—that gives your life meaning and purpose and drives you to see it through? Can you rely on your abilities and knowledge to get you through a difficult situation? If you're stumped by any of these questions, don't worry: it just means you need God and the Holy Spirit's empowering presence in your life more than anything else. Even saving oneself appears to be impossible for you.
Points to consider here are:
• For this reason, my dearly loved brothers, I urge you to remain constant, firm and abounding in the work of the Lord, because you know that your toil in the Lord will not be in vain. (1 Corinthians 15:58)
• Christ must be our source of rest. (Mathew 11:28)
• Never associate with liars or hypocrites. (Psalm 26:4)
• Do your best work for the Lord, not for other people. (Col 3:1-23)
• Do excellent deeds without tiring yourself out or giving up. Scripture reference: (Galatians 6:9)
Three disciplines to help you navigate today's vile.
A. MEDITATION
Because God is the one who provides for you and because He is the one who knows the troubles of the day, it is highly beneficial to stay awake only to be in accordance with God's plan. Not knowing what the day may bring, it would be safer to rely upon God than to rely on one's own misunderstandings and inaccurate predictions. Consequently, the ideal way to begin a day of dependence on God, the creator, and creator of the Universe, is to meditate on His Word and on one's life and circumstances. If men don't learn to discern what it is God wants from them, they'll lose sight of why they're here in the first place, leaving them defenseless against life's challenges without the support they need.
If you don't take the time to reflect on the meaning of your existence and your goals for each day, you're missing out on some of life's greatest opportunities.
Considering how our modern society is constantly bombarded by new stimuli, distractions, and lapses in self-control, this is an especially pertinent observation.
As a result, we should not put our faith in this world but instead, keep our wits about us and anticipate what God has in store for us. For the sake of the dying world, we must awaken so that Christ may shine through us. In light of this, set your mind on what is excellent (Ephesians 5:14).
This is the way our consciousness is meant to be awoken, so that we may take in all that is available to us. There must be a plan in place for everyone from God, but what exactly is that plan? Then we can rest assured that we are operating within God's will and that putting our trust in Him will serve us well.
B. PRAYER
Prayer is still one of the ways we come to God and connect with Him. We should take this more seriously than ever before if we are serious about our lives. Failing to connect with God is a failure in our daily activities if we are to rely on Him. Simply because there are more benefits to speaking to God, approaching Him in humility, and making our pleas and demands known to Him. God has never been silent. And He does respond to prayer in ways that we may not understand.
Failure to communicate with God will automatically throw us into disarray, rendering all of our expectations, be they good or bad, meaningless. This will lead to a man becoming obsessed with what he can achieve rather than contemplating what God has given us. However, a prayerful life means waiting on God will not be in vain because we trust in his abilities and capabilities to handle everything. Pray for it, and it will be given to you. (Matthew7:7)
Jesus Christ's life demonstrated that prayer was fundamental and necessary for Him to cope with and conquer the viles of this world, and all that man thinks of is retiring, if not neglecting, a life of prayer.
We are so eager to continue toiling without even entrusting what we are doing to God's care. How is that even conceivable? But this is the reality of what many believers experience. And only relying on God when we believe things are not going as planned.
The more prayer becomes a part of us, the more we become deeply rooted and reliant on God because we are designed to be acquainted with what He loves and enjoys. When we talk to God about what is troubling or opposing us, as well as what is best and good for us, God is deeply impressed and fond of us.
The person who practices this discipline will always know when to walk according to his own understanding and when to submit everything to God. Many people throughout the Bible's history who advocated prayer as a form of discipline never found themselves in conflict with God the Almighty.
C. FASTING
Fasting is a practice that empowers the spiritual inner being over the flesh. Fasting should be used to bring your soul, Spirit, and body into alignment with God. Abstaining from certain things in order to be sensitive to God's will and plans for your life, and thus to know how the days unfold.
When Jesus Christ taught this discipline, he emphasized something fundamental. Fasting is a discipline that helps any believer stay attracted to the things of God, and even when temptations arise, your soul is well-positioned to face and overcome the challenges that arise. Fasting is practiced according to the best Bible-outlined guidelines so that any believer who stays awake is not in vain.
"Go, gather all the Jews in Susa, and fast for me. Do not eat or drink for three days, either at night or during the day. I and my companions will fast in the same way that you do. When this is completed, I will go to the king, despite the fact that it is against the law. "And if I die, I die." (Esther 4:16)
We can clearly see here that when Esther entered the fasting, it was for her to get the favor before the King even when it was not appropriate for her to do, and as she embarked on the fasting, she said if I perish let me perish. So long as I'm doing the noble thing of fasting. And as a result, she was received by the King, paving the way for the evil that was planned against the children of Israel to be thwarted.
