“MUMMY, I WANT PAP”

When we got in that night, my daughter requested some pap. Her mum went into the kitchen to prepare it. By the time it was ready, Danielle was fast asleep. The real deal is when she woke up the next morning, the first thing she asked for was her pap.

It struck me how we can also be like this: We place a demand for great things from God. God goes to work and then we sleep off. We then wake up and expect that things we desire would simply fall on our laps.

(When I talk about sleeping, I am not referring to the rest we must have by faith. I am talking about the lack of sensitivity and attention)

Our sleeping off can be seen when we lose sensitivity to the things the Lord is doing. Wait a minute: Abraham was trusting for the fruit of the womb. If Abraham had gone to sleep the day the Lord visited him, he would not have gotten the Word that produced Isaac.

While we wait on God for the things we pray for, we must not trample on people. Prayers are important. Righteousness must never be removed from the equation. It was not just the prayers of Cornelius that rose as a memorial, the almsgiving was not left out.

A lot of times we pray but we go to sleep.

Our sleeping off can also be through laziness- refusal to pay the price for the things we desire. Faith is not lazy. Faith is not irresponsible. Faith does not place a demand and then retire to indifference. The confession of our faith but be backed up with diligence and hard work. Some of the hard work will mean you stay awake while others sleep.

Do not ask for things and then go to sleep. Prayer is the beginning of a walk. While you wait for God, you will need to treat those who mistreat you with the love of God. While you wait for God, you will have to be groomed. While you wait, there will be painful things that will be cut off. While you wait, you may make mistakes but ensure you do not live in them. While you wait, tough demands will come but know that God can be trusted.

Do not pray and then go to sleep. If you sleep, you may wake up like Jacob and say, “The Lord is here and I do not know it” and then continue for the next many years struggling because you slept while God was speaking.

Jacob needed a second encounter where he stayed awake all night. He would not miss it a second time. He stayed there. He fought sleep till the Lord spoke.

What have you missed because you slept?

Do not sleep! Be alert.