awaken.

“And behold, an angel of the Lord suddenly appeared and a light shone in the cell; and he struck Peter's side and woke him up, saying, 'Get up quickly.' And his chains fell off his hands.” Acts 12:7

Why did the angel wake Peter in this way? He came into the cell, shone a light, and struck his side. Shouldn't the bright, angelic light be enough to wake Peter? It obviously wasn't.

Angels are God's messengers. Although we don't see them commonly anymore, God still uses messengers today. Why do we turn our face from the light that they are trying to shine on us? Like Peter, it often takes a striking of our side to wake us up to the truth.

Once he got up, however, he was led to liberty. I don't want to turn away from the instruction that the Lord is trying to five me. I need to be open to His messengers. No matter how hard the strike to my side may be, I will praise God for His correction and discipline. For I know that those very things lead to broken chains and freedom.

Hebrews 12:10-11

“For [our Fathers] disciplined us for a short time as seemed best to them, but He disciplines us for our good, so that we may share in His holiness. All discipline for the moment seems not to be joyful, but sorrowful; yet to those who have been trained by it; afterwards it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness.”