“Pick Me Up if I Fall”

BIBLE READING: Acts 20

                It has happened to all of us at some point in our lives, some more than others, but we all have an embarrassing story about falling asleep in church.  This undesired tradition dates back to the days of the inner circle of Jesus as they waited for Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane.  They were told to “watch and pray”, yet they fell prey to “snore and slobber”.   God knows how difficult it is for us to stay awake when we are sleepy because He, not only created our bodies, He lived in one for a period.  None of our “Snore Situations” are as embarrassing as the Ultimate Pew Snoozer, Eutychus.  Here is a man who attends a service to hear Paul speak on the message of Jesus, yet for some reason is very tired.  Maybe he had a long day, maybe he was up all night with a toddler, maybe he worked a double shift at the Macedonian Market?  It really doesn’t matter what the reason was for his slumber, it just matters that he was extremely sleepy.   As Paul continued to preach and answer questions concerning the Way, the time had reached midnight and he could not take it any longer.  The Bible says that Eutychus “sank into a deep sleep” (Acts 20.8).  It must have been very crowded in that upper room, because why else would he sit at the window if he knew he was feeling drowsy.  The longer Paul preached the worse it got.  I wonder if there were people near him that began to laugh with each other as they noticed Eutychus nodding off repeatedly.  When he could no longer take it, the Bible said, “he sank”; it must have been like the Titanic because he sank so hard that he fell three stories out of the window.  The fall killed Eutychus!  Of course, it did not take long for all to notice what had happened.  Paul stopped preaching and followed outside with the crowd to see if they could help this poor young man.   After noticing the reality of the situation, Paul went and bent down, wrapped his arms around him and using the power of God…resurrected him from the dead.  So, what is the take home for this devotional thought? When you fall (and you will fall), make sure you have other Christians near you to help raise you up and restore you back to where you need to be. But “woe to him who is alone when he falls and has not another to lift him up!” (Eccl 4.10)