The Sound of Awakening
‘Ring the alarm because My people are asleep.
The sound of a ringing alarm is an irritant.
You will be that irritant to the ill-prepared.
But you will be The Sound of Awakening to the ones who are ready.’
Awakening the spirit of man
Meditating on this word (above) brings to remembrance the words spoken by the prophet Zechariah in Zechariah 4: 1 [AMP]:
And the angel who was speaking with me came back and awakened me, like a man who is awakened out of his sleep.
The prophet compares himself to a man who is sleeping. This suggests that he is not asleep. He is awake in his physical body. However, the angel is sent to awaken his spirit man. God is spirit (John 4:24); therefore, He communicates with the spirit of a man. Like Zechariah, the Church is being awakened out of her sleep. The natural man seems fully alert and busy with the busyness of life, but it is undeniable that a slumber has come upon the spirit man. In the Garden of Gethsemane, the disciples of our Lord Jesus slumbered and slept because they were unaware of the hour that was upon them. The Lord repeatedly requested that they “watch and pray”. There is an alarm ringing in the spirit realm cautioning the Church to watch and pray. This is a time for spiritual alertness and preparedness.
Responding to the ringing alarm
The ringing alarm is the Sound of Awakening. Deep is calling to deep (Psalm 42:7). The Lord is stirring up the innermost being and inviting each of us to intimate and unbroken fellowship with Him. With this invitation, the Lord is granting us access into the unimaginable. In Jeremiah 33:3, God says, “Call to Me and I will answer you, and tell you [and even show you] great and mighty things, [things which have been confined and hidden], which you do not know and understand and cannot distinguish.” Available to us now is what was once hidden. Riches, mysteries, insights, wisdom, understanding and new anointings are at hand for the purpose of bringing in the harvest of souls.
Below are three common responses to a ringing alarm:
1. Wake up – this person is responsive because his spirit man is in constant communion with God. He hears the Word and receives it with a willing and obedient heart. He is faithful to conform to the will of God and hence brings forth a great harvest.
And the one on whom seed was sown on the good soil, this is the one who hears the word and understands and grasps it; he indeed bears fruit and yields, some a hundred times [as much as was sown], some sixty [times as much], and some thirty. Matthew 13: 23 [AMP]
2. Continually press snooze – this person does not heed once he has heard the Word. It is choked up by the cares of this world or the rebellion in his heart. He yields no fruit because he expects God to adjust His plan and timing to suit his own.
And the one on whom seed was sown among thorns, this is the one who hears the word, but the worries and distractions of the world and the deceitfulness [the superficial pleasures and delight] of riches choke the word, and it yields no fruit. Matthew 13: 22 [AMP]
3. Silence the alarm (violently) – this person is angered by the Word he hears. He opposes God and is even prepared to persecute His Church.
Beware of men [whose nature is to act in opposition to God], for they will hand you over to the courts and flog you in their synagogues Matthew 10: 17 [AMP]
Bringing in the harvest of souls
You know the saying, ‘Four months between planting and harvest.’ But I say, wake up and look around. The fields are already ripe for harvest. The harvesters are paid good wages, and the fruit they harvest is people brought to eternal life. What joy awaits both the planter and the harvester alike! You know the saying, ‘One plants and another harvests.’ And it’s true. I sent you to harvest where you didn’t plant; others had already done the work, and now you will get to gather the harvest.” John 4: 35 – 38 [NLT]
The Lord of the harvest has appointed His Church to gather in His harvest. The fields are ready and we are the labourers we have been waiting for. Each one has a role to play. Isaiah 60: 2 states that darkness will cover the earth and deep darkness will cover the people. But God has promised that His light will rise upon His people. His glory and brilliance will be evident in the lives of those whom He has equipped with solutions for the troubles at hand. His faithful ones will steward well that which the Lord has entrusted to their care. The sons of God will respond to the groaning of the earth. They will propagate the Sound of Awakening into all the world as they proclaim the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ.