awake and ready...

It's funny how God begins to prepare you for something, before you're even thinking about it.  Lately, I've been getting very tired around 10:00pm - consistently and without reason. I've not been doing any crazy work to exhaust myself, nor have I been exercising to any extent.  But it seems every night these past few weeks, the nods begin to happen!

The flip-side of that coin is that every morning, I've been awaken between 6:00 and 6:30 - And I mean wide-awake!  I lay in bed and my brain starts revving for the day.  It reminds me of the old movies when the characters go into a massive building or warehouse and flip the breaker and all of those huge mercury lights flicker and hum as the come to life with radiant light. 

All of a sudden, I'm running through my checklist for the day (and sometimes the week).  I think about the people I need to see and interact with and what we need to talk about. I think analyze the dog stirring at the end of the bed, looking up to check if anyone is awake yet to pet his chin.  But the one thing that alluded me, the one question that seemed to go unanswered was "Why?"  "Why am I so wide awake?"  And "Why can't I stay up past 10:00 anymore?" The answer is found in 1 & 2 Samuel.
We find the answer in the account of King David's life.  We see a young shepherd boy, anointed as king of Israel, for no other reason (not height nor strength, nor affluence of family), than the fact that God said so.  This humble young man saw the Goliath opposing the Armies of Israel as he took provisions to his brothers. He saw the giant taunting the army, asking for worthy champion - Israel's finest warrior - to come forth and meet him in one-on-one combat. But he also heard that 9-foot behemoth curse God's people, then curse the God of those people. That was enough!

This "chosen one" hearkened back to his meager days of shepherding - Days spent in the fields, alone with his sheep and his harp and his simple sling.  He remembered in an instant how he learned to peel the bark of of a tree with a small stone hurled at great speeds - The type of speed and precision that could kill an on-coming bear, or an offending giant!
You see, God had a plan!  God was preparing that boy, 8th in the line of Jesse, for great things!  It was that shepherd/musician who slayed the champion of the Philistines that day. Not a king, or a great warrior. Simply an obedient teenager that listened to God, and was prepared by God to do great things!


No... I am not planning on slaying giants - At least in the literal sense, but God is preparing me! I have been gently forced to awaken at an early hour and fall to slumber earlier that usual... All because God has a plan.  I have been enjoying more time with Him in the morning.  I have been able to see my wife before she heads to work. I have been getting the work done around the house that needs to be done...soon!  And I am being prepared to get back into the swing of full-time work.


I am a morning person!  I love the mornings! My thinking is clear and my focus is acute. In fact, I began writing this post at 6:30am!  I may miss-out on some of my favorite TV series, but who really needs them? 
God is omniscient, and He knows what He's doing. Thank you, Lord, for that gentle nudge that I have needed to prepare me for what's next!
In summary: I am being prepared, I am awake, and I am ready!