RISE UP

RISE UP

Awake, awake, Zion, clothe yourself with strength! Put on your garments of splendor’. (Isa. 52:1).

To Awake = Rising up from your present circumstances to something glorious with the

Garments of Splendor = Garment of Salvation & The Robe of Righteousness.

The meditation is about 

FOR WHAT ONE SHOULD RISE UP 

1. RISE UP TO YOUR CALLING :. 

The captain yelled at Jonah “What meanest thou, O sleeper? Rise up” (Jonah1:6).

          Jonah ran away from his calling so he faced hardships.  Similarly, each of us have a divine calling. Let’s ponder if we are we running towards or away from our calling. Let’s not sleep but determine to Renew & Rise up to our calling.

Elijah was frustrated and he lay down a broom tree and slept (I Kings 19:5). God woke him up saying “what business he had there”. The destination, the calling, Elijah had to reach was far away. So, God Himself woke him up and made him continue to run for God. So too let’s ask the Lord the persistence to stay in our calling.

Jerusalem was asked to put on the beautiful garments. Because she wasted all her precious time, dust had spread over her.

 The dust symbolizes the heart that is bondaged, losing all Spiritual strength.  If we wake up and rise today, God is powerful to break all our chains that hinder our blessings.

2. RISE  UP TO YOUR FIRST LOVE :

“I will Rise Up & go back to my father and say to him: Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you.” (Luke 15:18).

The Prodigal Son, spent lavishly & finally ended up as a laborer to graze the swines. Swines symbolize backsliding.  Just, as he resolved to go back to his father, to his first love, may we determine to return to the early love of God, to return to the prayerful life. Let’s devoid ourselves of any idols that we give more preference than God.

 If we do so our God will re-build our life, our family, all of our children’s concerns once again.

 3. RISE UP TO YOUR FAITH WITH PERSEVERANCE:

          “Then Jesus said to him, "Rise up! Pick up your mat and walk.” (John 5:8)

The Disabled Man at the pool in Bethesda: ‘House of mercy’ is the meaning of the word ‘Bethesda. He stayed in the seat of mercy, yet was not able to receive mercy.

Likewise, we may experience situations where we reside in the mercy seat., (i.e.) In places where good things happen around us but we don’t receive any, though we follow all the laws of the Bible. In those situations, we have to stand firmly with faith and touch God with zeal, like the Women with issue of blood.

 She Persevered with Faith, touched Jesus & was healed. But the man with an infirmity did not receive healing for 38 yrs, because he might have accused those around. Him, blaming others. So our Lord says “Rise up take your bed (bed in which he might have gossiped) & walk”.

Therefore, we are called to rise from where we are now. Let’s Rise towards the divine healing both Physical & Spiritual Healing. When we do so, the Son of righteousness will Rise up with Healing in His wings & grant divine healing on all fronts.

4. RISE TO YOUR PRAYER LIFE: 

          “The angel struck Peter on the side and woke him & said “Rise up!” (Acts 12:7)

King Herod killed James & when he saw that it pleased the Jews, he proceeded to seize Peter also and imprisoned him. Only then the Acts Church woke up. Prior to this, no prayer warrior had the burden to pray for James. So too, today many servants of God and missionaries, are dying, with no one to pray for them.

The church which thus far was sleeping began to pray with concern that Peter also should not be lost. Thus for want of prayer let us not lose, neither a single servant of God nor a believer. Today, many movements alike Herod have risen against Christianity. We are called to Rise up, pray and safeguard the servants God.

Their prayer sent an angel and broke the chains that bound Peter. Similarly, today many are caught in many bounds and prisons. If we Rise & stand in the gap for ministers of God, He will even send His angels to fight the battle and to break all bondages.

TO CONCLUDE

Physical & Spiritual sleep both are distressing. May each of us Resolve to Rise up and Realize the danger of not Waking Up. Let us determine to stand with God to shake the nation.