Over 224 million people want to be woken up when it’s all over…

Or at least they enjoy listening to the song Wake Me Up while watching a relatively senseless video set in a backwoods town of haters.

Someone please wake me up to what exactly is going on in this strange world where awkward rural meets abandoned city, yet it is in the deserted city where everyone has to wait in line to see Avicci!

Also, is it just the models that have a genetic predisposition to the volume control tattoo?  And why would you walk back into town when you have a horse at home?

Or maybe the video is nothing more than an extended Ralph Lauren/Sony Smartphone commercial?

So perhaps we should just focus on the meaning behind the song, since the lyrics are thought provoking and brilliant.

So wake me up when it’s all over,
When I’m wiser and I’m older.
All this time I was finding myself,
And I didn’t know I was lost.

—from Wake Me Up by Avicci

There’s a reason why this song has gained an incredible following on a worldwide scale – because deep down we all know that something is missing.

We are awake, but sometimes there’s a gnawing feeling that this is all a dream (or nightmare).

We have everything we want, but really nothing we need.

We are trying to find ourselves, but in doing so we keep getting lost.

Avicci has hit on an age old theme that is popularly known as a “wakeup call,” or in this case, a “Wake Me Up!” call.  Have you ever had one?  Typically they are life-altering events like serious illnesses, injuries or losses that rouse people out of a slumber-like condition and help them focus on what is truly important.

If you are a Christ follower, then you already have had at least one wake up call.  It happened the day you put your trust in Jesus Christ as your only hope of salvation.  You were awakened to the fact that apart from Jesus, you would spend an eternity in hell.  You realized you were lost, and instead of finding yourself, you found a Savior!

But there is another “wake me up” passage in the Bible that I believe is very applicable to those of us trying to follow Jesus in 2014:

Wake up from your sleep
and rise from death.
Then Christ will shine on you (Ephesians 5:14).

Interestingly, the Apostle Paul is quoting a popular chorus during his time to illustrate a key truth. In a way, he is doing the same thing we do when we reference song lyrics!

And the song he references is a wake me up call directed at Christ followers, because many of them were spiritually asleep and didn’t even know it.

But when they allowed the light of Jesus Christ to radiate through the windows of their souls, they awoke from their spiritual slumber to truly experience God’s calling on their lives.

Are you snoozing away when it comes to following Jesus? The danger here is that you actually don’t see the danger of napping through your life, because everything seems normal.

For example:

• We can speak when we are asleep.
• We can hear when we are asleep.
• We can walk when we are asleep.
• We can sing when we are asleep.
• We can think when we are asleep.

But we can’t show others what it means to follow Jesus and tell others how to have a relationship with Him when we are asleep.

For me, I need Jesus to wake me up before it’s all over! I need Christ’s light to shine on me so I can reflect it to others…much like the moon, I want to be a shining beacon reflecting the “Son” in a time when darkness prevails all around us.  In and of myself, I am just a useless piece of lifeless material, but when His light illuminates my spirit, I am transformed into a living example of His love and glory for THE Cause!

So if you feel lost or hated or isolated, don’t hop on a horse and ride to the nearest party…instead, let Jesus wake you up before your chances of serving Him are all gone.  Take your focus off yourself and place it on the One who is “the true light, who gives light to everyone” (John 1:9).

Flashpoint: Ignite Into Action

Spiritual slumber is a pandemic problem amongst Christ followers in this day and age.  We all need a ‘wake me up’ call in our spirits so we can let Christ’s light shine on us and be a light to others for THE Cause.

Accelerant: Fuel for THE Cause

Pray: Jesus, please shine Your light on us so we can point others to You.  Awaken us from our slumber so we don’t miss out on the wonderful things you have planned for us.

Read: John 8:12. Jesus spoke to the people once more and said, “I am the light of the world. If you follow me, you won’t have to walk in darkness, because you will have the light that leads to life.”

Get:  Reckless…Following Jesus to the Point of No Return. Check out Zane Black’s latest book, Reckless, and explore the epic and sometimes risky adventure of following Jesus! Jesus went all in for you. Are you ready to go all in for Him?