When God Woke Me Up

by Mark Lester Dondonay

“Just as people are destined to die once, and after that to face judgment…” Hebrews 9:27

It was not a usual morning for me. I woke up three o’clock and went out, rode my bike and maneuvered around downtown Donghae. The air was cool. I was shivering but enjoying the bright lights of the city. After an hour I went to my room. Unfortunately, I fell asleep again.

I was lying down when I felt the urge to urinate. It was dawn. I turned on the light in the bathroom. When I opened the sliding door, I felt the shower curtain blocking my way. Feeling half asleep, I still attempted to open it but it could not be opened. It seemed like there was somebody holding it resisting me. After struggling, I managed to open it with a shout. Wahhhhhh! It was horrible. I couldn’t believe what I saw─ a man with blood dripping down his face. I was struggling to let go because he was holding my arms. “Wait,” I said. “My bathroom has no shower curtain. It’s just a nightmare.” I paused for a moment and closed my eyes. “This is just a dream, Lord please help me,” I whispered a simple prayer. I could still feel the man holding my arms. A few seconds after I whispered a prayer, I woke up. I felt so tired.

It seemed like it was real. The nightmare started when I was lying down with an urge to urinate. The scenario was vivid.

Do you know the feeling that although you are sleeping you are conscious that you’re having a dream? You want somebody to help you and wake you up but no matter how you scream; no sound is coming out from your mouth. That was my feeling. After my experience I knelt and thanked God for saving me. I could have died if He didn’t let me realize that I was just dreaming; if he didn’t wake me up from my nightmare. I thought of people who sleep without waking up, who were healthy, full of vigor and happy.

It happened two days before my birthday. God gave me a morning lesson. A message direct from my Savior telling me that life is short; that I need to be ready for the close of probation that may come to me anytime.

No one knows what will happen next.

Like a fish caught in a net,

or a bird caught in a trap,

people are trapped by evil

when it suddenly falls on them.

~~Ecclesiastes 9:12

Life is short, death comes unexpectedly. It could be a few minutes after you read this article. I’m not trying to scare you. I’m just opening your eyes to the reality of death as a wage for our sin. It is really certain and we don’t know when. For me, this is a serious thing. There’s no time to waste. Every moment of our life must be consecrated to God. Satan is deceiving us because he lets us feel comfortable and forget the need for consecration. This is the message and lesson God wanted me to learn and I want to share it with you too.