Waking Up in An Empty Bed

I woke up from a very deep sleep the other day. I must have fallen asleep the night before and slept very soundly (which is very rare for me).

My mind was confused; I didn’t know what day it was or what time it was.

And I realized that the bed was empty; Cathy was gone; and it was frightening.

My mind was even more confused as I tried even harder to figure out what day it was or what time it was.

In my head, I heard an old song by Larry Norman called “I Wish We’d All Been Ready”

       A man and wife asleep in bed
       She hears a noise and turns her head he's gone
       I wish we’d all been ready…

       There's no time to change your mind
       The Son has come and you've been left behind…

My mind was even MORE confused as I tried even harder to answer what day it was or what time it was and where Cathy really was at. Was she really gone? Was I left behind?

Suddenly I was fully awakened as I heard our pickup truck start up; Cathy was leaving for work…which meant that it was Friday sometime around six in the morning. A quick look at the clock on the dresser confirmed that it was five minutes before six o’clock in the morning.

I must have really been tired after a full day (Thursday).

As I made the bed, the song continued in my head:

       A piece of bread could buy a bag of gold
       I wish we’d all been ready…

I went downstairs to pour a cup of coffee to awaken the remaining part of my brain.

The song continued to play in my head:

       Two men walking up a hill
       One disappears and one’s left standing still
       I wish we’d all been ready…

I sat down in my favorite chair in our living room (with my cup of coffee) and read Matthew 24:36-44; which is what the song is referring to.

In the passage Jesus states:

³⁶ “But of that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, but My Father only. ³⁷ But as the days of Noah were, so also will the coming of the Son of Man be.³⁸ For as in the days before the flood, they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noah entered the ark, ³⁹ and did not know until the flood came and took them all away, so also will the coming of the Son of Man be. ⁴⁰ Then two men will be in the field: one will be taken and the other left. ⁴¹ Two women will be grinding at the mill: one will be taken and the other left. ⁴² Watch therefore, for you do not know what hour your Lord is coming. ⁴³ But know this, that if the master of the house had known what hour the thief would come, he would have watched and not allowed his house to be broken into.⁴⁴ Therefore you also be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect.

I read the entity of chapters 24 and 25 to meditate on Jesus’ words telling us what to expect as one day this world as we know it comes to an end.

For the record, I’m not one who spends most days thinking about or discussing eschatology (the study of end times), BUT that doesn’t say that it isn’t important.

One day this world will end and I hope that we’ll all be ready. It’s no fun waking up in an empty bed; in fact, it’s frightening and confusing!

Not sure where you are at if He were to return today? Call 1-888-NEED-HIM for more assistance. Or drop me a line at pastortommyoestreich@gmail.com

Pastor Tommy O, River of Hope Ministries

  

“I Wish We'd All Been Ready” by Larry Norman

Life was filled with guns and war
And all of us got trampled on the floor
I wish we’d all been ready
The children died, the days grew cold
A piece of bread could buy a bag of gold
I wish we’d all been ready

There's no time to change your mind
The Son has come and you've been left behind

A man and wife asleep in bed
She hears a noise and turns her head he's gone
I wish we’d all been ready
Two men walking up a hill
One disappears and ones left standing still
I wish we’d all been ready

The Father spoke, the demons dined
How could you have been so blind?

There's no time to change your mind
The Son has come and you've been left behind

There's no time to change your mind
The Son has come and you've been left behind

I hope well all be ready
You've been left behind [Repeat: x3]

Songwriters: Larry Norman

I Wish We'd All Been Ready lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC