Just like me, if you heard them once, you heard them a thousand times: “Wake Up! It’s time to wake up.” Those unwelcomed words signaled the beginning of a new day, with all of its duties and responsibilities.

However, there’s another connotation that can be derived from those words. Sometimes the words “wake up” imply the need to stop daydreaming; to pay attention to what’s going on around you. Don’t be taken unawares. Viewed in this way, the insistent words “wake up” are certainly applicable to our modern-day world.

Today’s world is fraught with social upheaval, and troublesome unrest and chaos. Jesus, speaking of the final judgments of God, said that men’s hearts would be “…failing them for fear, and for looking after those things which are coming on the earth: for the powers of heaven shall be shaken” (Luke 21:26). Though I believe the actual fulfillment of this verse will take place in the future, it would certainly seem that we are seeing the foreshadowing of it. That being said, it would be prudent to heed God’s Word, which says, “Seek ye the Lord while he may be found, call ye upon him while he is near: Let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts: and let him return unto the Lord, and he will have mercy upon him; and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon” (Isaiah 55:6-7).

I believe the need for individual and national repentance before God is urgent, for the ominous clouds of judgment are already on the horizon. I wish to illustrate my point with this true account:

Danny Waters is on the staff of the Georgia Baptist Convention. In a meeting I was attending at the convention headquarters this week, I heard Danny describe the apprehension he experienced when a tornado passed over his home last week. He awoke from sleep during the night and heard the foreboding sound like that of a train, and the wail of nearby tornado sirens, and knew that danger was imminent. He woke his wife and said, “Honey, get up, there’s a storm.” He reported that she rolled over in the bed and said, “Wake me up when it gets bad!” There was laughter when Danny pointed out that her sleep kept her from seeing the immediate danger. Then Danny continued. He said to his wife, “Get up, now! We have to get into the basement—IT’S BAD RIGHT NOW!” They found safety in the basement even though their house was damaged in the storm.1

It is dangerous to sleep when hard winds are blowing. I am reminded of the Scripture passage found in 1 Thessalonians 5:5-6, “You are all sons of light and sons of the day. We are not of the night nor of darkness. Therefore let us not sleep, as others do, but let us watch and be sober.” (NKJV).

If you are waiting for things to get worse in our world before you wake up, you need to WAKE UP NOW! IT’S BAD RIGHT NOW!

1 J. Mike Minnix, former editor of pastorlife.com.