February 16: Ephesians 5:14 - When God Awakens What We Thought Was Gone (Today's Reflection from My Utmost For His Highest)

Bible Verse

Ephesians 5:14

"Arise from the dead..."

Reflection

There are moments in the spiritual life when God’s call doesn’t sound like a trumpet blast — it feels more like a quiet stirring, a nudge that refuses to leave us alone. Chambers reminds us that not every impulse to “get up and get going” is holy. Human initiative pushes from the outside; spiritual initiative rises from within, breathed into us by the Spirit of God.

We all carry dreams that once felt alive and possible. Over time, life has a way of convincing us those dreams have died. We tuck them away, call them unrealistic, and move on. But God does not. He steps into the places we have labeled “dead” and speaks the same word He spoke through Paul: “Arise from the dead.”

When God awakens something in us, it is never a demand — it is an invitation. And the miracle is this: the power comes after we respond. He does not lift us to our feet; He calls us to rise. He does not stretch out our hand for us; He tells us to stretch it out. And in the very act of obedience, His life flows.

This is the mystery of spiritual initiative. God does not give us overcoming life in advance. He gives us life as we overcome. The moment we take the step we thought we could never take, we discover strength we did not know we had — because it is not ours at all.

If something in you has felt dormant, forgotten, or buried, listen closely. The Spirit may be whispering, “Get up. Begin. Move toward the thing you thought was impossible.” Not in your own power, but in His. The resurrection life of Jesus meets us in motion.

The next step is ours.
The power is His.                                                                                                                                

Prayer

Lord, awaken what I have allowed to fall asleep.
Call forth what I have buried under discouragement or delay.
Give me the courage to rise when You speak,
to stretch out what feels withered,
and to trust that Your life will meet me as I obey.
Let my steps be small if they must be,
but let them be toward You.
In Jesus’ name, Amen.

Breath Prayer

Inhale: Awaken me, Lord.
Exhale: Give me life as I rise.

Benediction

May the God who calls you to rise
meet you in every step you take.
May His Spirit breathe life into what seemed lost,
strength into what felt weak,
and courage into what lies ahead.
Walk in His power,
rest in His presence,
and trust the One who awakens the impossible.
In the name of Jesus

~ Quil