Unawares
‘Unawares’ is defined as without design, attention, preparation, or premeditation, without warning, suddenly, unexpectedly.
Unaware
‘Unaware’ is defined as not aware, ignorant.
There are many things in life that we may not be aware of, or just plain ignorant about. There are many things in life that come upon us without warning, suddenly, unexpectedly, leaving us unprepared to deal with them with any preparation.
Dust Mites
For instance, take your pillow. It is a place of comfort where you rest your head on every night. When you get up in the morning, you can see the indentation of where and how your head was resting on the pillow. But we may or may not be knowledgeable of the bajillion dust mites that are also living in and on your pillow. We can’t see them with the naked eye, so we are accustomed to being unaware of them, and don’t think about them. However, if these little mites are on and in your pillow, and your head is resting on that same pillow each night, don’t you think it is reasonable that unawares to you, these tiny little creatures may suddenly and without warning be crawling over your face and through your hair?
ISIS
Think about ISIS for a minute. ISIS is creating terror in the Middle East right now. Most of us are aware of the horrible things they are doing to those who refuse to convert to their faith. It is thousands of miles away from us, so we choose to tune out the torture, rape, and brutal beheadings they are meting out to their victims.
Aware but Unprepared
Even when we are aware, we choose to be ignorant of the details, leaving us totally unprepared if they suddenly show up in the mall where we shop. Franklin Graham and many others believe they could carry out their threats anytime, without warning. Only those who have had their sons and daughters deceived into joining ISIS, or those who have had a relative raped and beheaded by ISIS, are fully aware of the cruelty they are capable of, and take the precautions to stay clear of their influence, which seems to be wiser than the way our President is dealing with them.
Hebrews 13:2 says, “Don’t forget to show hospitality to strangers, for some who have done this have entertained angels without realizing it!”
If you don’t believe in angels, then you will never be aware of their presence when they show up. If you believe in angels, and stay so focused on the material distractions this world offers you in your daily life, you still will be unaware when they cross your path. If you are so immersed in the material world, you will be unaware when they are sent by Jesus Christ to snatch you up in the Rapture. (Angels always defer worship to Christ and are not your personal spirit guide. Always test their message with the Words of Jesus.)
Aware and Prepared
When you are aware of the dust mites, then you take steps to keep your pillow sanitized. If you are aware of dust mites and choose to be oblivious to them, then they will be surrounding your head while you sleep. If you are aware of ISIS, and choose to pray for those who are being persecuted by them, and ask God to deliver us all from their evil, then you are taking steps to protect others and yourself from their horrors. If you choose to ignore ISIS, then suddenly they may be in your neighborhood, catching you unaware and without preparation. Jesus said the wise virgins were aware of the soon coming of the bridegroom, and kept extra oil in their lamps.
Strangers as angels
The reality is, there are good and evil spiritual unseen beings in the atmosphere around us 24/7, warring for the souls of men, women and children. The writer of Hebrews says that we can be unaware and actually be in the presence of an angel in the form of a stranger who happens to cross our path.
Abraham and three men
Abraham was sitting in the cool of the evening, in the door of his tent, when he saw three ‘men’ standing by him. He was immediately aware that these were not ordinary men, for he addresses one as Lord, and hastens to offer them his best hospitality. What if Abraham had been busy arguing with Sarah? Searching Facebook or the internet? Making his to-do-list for tomorrow? Hmmmm…..
Abraham was aware of his surroundings, and was in the habit of meditating each evening before the Lord. When the Lord and two angels appear as ordinary men, unawares, he doesn’t miss a beat. He immediately recognizes them as supernatural, and issues a series of orders to Sarah and the servants for entertaining them.
What if the Lord showed up this evening at your house? Would you recognize Him? What if your guardian angel showed up with a message from Jesus for you? Would you miss it because you were into this world too intensely?
I have felt the Presence of angels in my life many times over the past almost seven decades, and have seen an angel twice, and the Lord several times. All of those times I had been in intense prayer, feeling after the Lord in the Spirit. I have also seen men who were there one moment, and gone the next. There was nowhere for them to go without being seen. Angels unawares are a reality if we are aware of that reality within the boundaries of His Word.
Feel with intention and awareness
I like the wording of the New American Standard Bible of Acts 17:27, “…that they would seek God, if perhaps they might ‘grope’ for Him and find Him, though He is not far from each one of us;..”
Feeling after God’s invisible Spirit takes some ‘groping’ because the spirit world is at war. Satan and his evil ones do their best to keep God’s people from ‘feeling’ the power of the Holy Spirit. Hence, all the distractions that this world offers you in just one day, that you have to make time to meditate and read His Word. You have to force your way into the secret place of the Most High. (Psalm 91:1)
Jackie’s experience with Spirit and Life of Bible
A number of years ago, my wife, Jackie, had opened my Bible, which I had left lying on the kitchen counter. When she opened it, she said her hand was lifted up away from the pages by an invisible force. It was so sudden that it surprised her.
Believers in Christ know that the Bible is the Living Words of God. Jesus said that the Words that He speaks are ‘Spirit’ and ‘Life’. The Bible is a living book, filled with the Holy Spirit of Almighty God for those who believe. To those who don’t believe, it is just a book of stories, and they are left unaware of its true Power, and they will never experience what Jackie felt when she touched my Bible.
Will you miss what God has for your life because you are unaware when He shows up in your life unawares? That poor beggar asking for a donation could be an angel in disguise, testing to see if you are hard-hearted or compassionate toward those who are less fortunate than yourself. Hmmmm….