I Woke Up Like This (How To Live Awake and Spiritually Alive)
Mornings matter. Ask almost anyone who has found success in life, and you’ll discover they have a unique way of starting the day. Oprah Winfrey wakes up at 6:02 without an alarm, walks her dogs, reads truths from a “truth box,” and eats breakfast at 8:30 sharp. Benjamin Franklin famously began each day with the question: “What good shall I do today?” Teddy Roosevelt, even as president, read three books a day—one of them before breakfast. Mark Wahlberg starts his routine at 2:30 a.m. with prayer, a workout, golf, and cryotherapy before most of us have even had coffee.
The details vary, but the principle is the same: how you begin your day shapes the rest of it. Sure, you can salvage a bad day after it’s started, but why not begin on the right foot?
But here’s the deeper question: we all think about waking up our bodies, but what does it take to wake up your soul?
Genesis 28 tells the story of Jacob, a man on the run who bedded down in the wilderness with nothing but a rock for a pillow. That night, God gave him a dream: a ladder stretching from earth to heaven, with angels ascending and descending. And then came God’s voice, promising presence, protection, and a future that would bless the whole world.
Jacob woke up astonished. “Surely the Lord is in this place, and I did not know it. How awesome is this place! This is none other than the house of God, this is the gate of heaven!”
From that moment on, everything changed. Jacob set up the stone as a pillar, poured oil over it, and made a vow: “The Lord shall be my God, and of all that You give me I will surely give a tenth to You.”
That was Jacob’s spiritual morning routine. He went to bed a cheater, a runaway, a man marked by his failures. He woke up with a new identity, governed by God’s presence and promises.
Scripture uses the word sleep in more than one way:
Physical rest. Jesus Himself slept in the boat, sometimes we simply need rest.
Death. For believers, death is described as “sleep,” because it’s temporary. Jesus woke Lazarus from it, and He will raise every believer at the resurrection.
Spiritual lostness. Those far from God are described as asleep, needing to be awakened by His grace. “Wake up, O sleeper, rise from the dead, and Christ will shine on you” (Ephesians 5:14).
Complacent faith. Romans 13 urges us to wake up from spiritual slumber, to stop going through the motion, and start living awake to God’s mission.
Jacob’s story is a wake-up call in every sense. It reminds us that God is present, that death is not the end, that the lost can be found, and that believers can’t afford to sleep through their calling.
Jacob’s very name meant “cheater,” and his life reflected it. He swindled his brother Esau until Esau finally threatened to kill him. Running for his life, Jacob ended up alone in the desert. That’s where God met him.
The encounter at Bethel marked a turning point. From then on, Jacob began to live differently. Years later, God gave him a new name: Israel, “governed by God.”
The same thing can happen to us. When we stop grasping for control and let God govern our lives, He reshapes both our identity and our destiny.
Jacob’s response at Bethel shows us four ways to wake up spiritually and live fully alive.
Stay Amazed. Jacob walked away in awe. True encounters with God should leave us amazed, not puffed up. Religion that focuses on what we do exhausts us; worship that focuses on who God is amazes us. Every morning is an opportunity to marvel again at His goodness, His creation, and His grace.
Remember You’re Included. God told Jacob, “Through your descendants all the families of the earth shall be blessed.” Jacob wasn’t sidelined; he was included in God’s plan. The same is true for us. Whether you’re single, raising kids, or praying for grandchildren yet to come, your family is part of God’s story. Speak life over them, pray for them, and invite them to participate in building His kingdom.
Get Invested. Jacob’s instinct was to give. Before there was a law about tithing, before he had wealth, he promised God the first tenth of everything he’d ever receive. Why? Because passion always pulls resources with it. What you love, you give toward. Generosity isn’t about having excess; it’s about honoring God with whatever you have right now.
Live Dedicated. Jacob poured oil over the stone, symbolizing a life poured out. He traded comfort (a pillow) for commitment (a pillar). Dedication often requires sacrifice, stepping out of what’s comfortable and into what’s eternal.
God delights in using the unexpected: a shepherd boy to slay a giant, a persecutor to plant churches, a boat builder in New Orleans whose invention carried soldiers to shore on D-Day. Andrew Higgins’ “Higgins boats” became the unlikely tool of victory in World War II.
Jacob’s ladder was God’s reminder that heaven comes down, not us climbing up. Jesus is that ladder. He stepped into our world so we could step into His life. The question is, will we let our lives become the boats that carry His hope to others?
Like Jacob, we can say, “Surely the Lord is in this place.” And like Higgins’ boats carried soldiers to the beach, we can use what we have—our businesses, our social media, our homes—as vehicles to bring people closer to Jesus.
David wrote, “My voice You shall hear in the morning, O Lord; in the morning I will direct it to You, and I will look up” (Psalm 5:3). That’s the secret: start every day by speaking to God, before anyone else hears your voice.
We put effort into brushing our teeth, fixing our hair, and choosing our clothes. Shouldn’t we put just as much into waking up our souls?
Jacob went to sleep a fugitive. He woke up a man marked by God’s presence. That’s what can happen for us too. Every morning is an opportunity not just to wake up our bodies, but to wake up our hearts to the reality that God is here, God is for us, and God wants to use us.
So tomorrow, when you open your eyes, don’t just reach for the coffee. Reach for God. Pour out your life like oil on the altar. Dedicate your day to Him. And when people ask how you’re living with such purpose and peace, you can smile and say: “I woke up like this.”
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