You people who don’t want to work, think about the ant!
Consider its ways and be wise!
(Proverbs 6:6)

Read: Psalm 23, Matthew 26:36-46
Pilgrim’s Progress Stage 3 Part 5

Relate: I once took the bus from Istanbul to Gaziantep, Turkiye. I don’t remember exactly how long that bus ride was, but my guess was that it was about 15-16 hours. I’ve done a lot of bus rides. I recently took one about the same length from Kyiv to Warsaw, and less than a full day later from New York City to Syracuse. I normally hate bus rides. But compared to everywhere else, buses in Turkiye are a luxury. Imagine reclining in a lazyboy with a guy who will occasionally bring you snacks (unfortunately, never meals) and will also get you free water or tea whenever you desire. I would often do overnight bus rides rather than flying because it would save not only on the transportation but also on one night’s hotel fare.

This is what I was doing at that time when heading to Gaziantep. The bus actually arrived early in the morning, about an hour ahead of schedule, and about 30 minutes before my alarm was set to wake me up. So I was still groggy and tired and not thinking straight when I stepped off that bus. What didn’t step off with me was my laptop bag with the computer inside. A couple of hours later, I was frantically trying to connect with the bus company, thinking the thing was certainly lost for good. But that steward on the bus had noticed it, knew it belonged to “the American” and had put it aside. Two days later, when that bus next pulled into Gaziantep on its back and forth run, I got my laptop back, and both the driver and the steward got some chocolates and my overflowing gratitude. All that I had really lost was some time and a lot of anxiety.

React: I can relate to Christian. God had placed the arbor on that hill specifically for the purpose he had used it. Rest it not sin. Rest is a command mandated by God over and over again. Falling asleep is not a sin. We all need it, and most of us do not get nearly as much of it as we should. Christian’s sin, and our danger, is not the rest and the relaxation he enjoyed. His mistake was that when he awoke, he was not as sober and as vigilant as he should have been. You could say that he overslept his alarm, and in his rush to quickly get up and out the door, he left the roll behind.

Like me, all Christian really lost was a bit of time and a lot of anxiety. Like Christian, I’ve felt rushed enough some mornings that I have neglected time with the Holy Spirit (who is the seal of our salvation Eph 1:13) and have hurried about my day, leaving him behind. That time saving measure never works, and I don’t feel right until I can break away from the busyness of life and spend the time with Him I should have started off the morning with. Have you ever felt that? Do you feel as though your day is incomplete, all turned around, and missing something essential if you have missed your morning time with the Holy Spirit? If not, why not? Give us this day our daily bread.

Respond:

Dear God,
I need You. Every hour, every day, especially every morning, I need You. God, don’t let me become so hurried and rushed in the mornings that I leave You behind. Help me to be sober and to be vigilant even in those moments before that first cup of coffee when my mind isn’t thinking straight. And please, let me never get comfortable with the idea that “skipping a day” is OK.
Amen