I heard him for the first time some four decades ago in Trinidad. He spoke his prophecy under a black sky in Guyana. By Romania, his voice had become familiar, but in Bangladesh and India, I didn’t appreciate his morning invitation…though I considered inviting him for breakfast.
Louder and closer he was in Africa, with a voice that reverberated for miles. Russia, Ukraine, England, Brazil, Netherlands, Thailand, Vietnam, Canada, Malta, Hong Kong, and the backwoods of Northern Michigan…he has pursued me to the very ends of the Earth.
Now, today, in the mountains of Guatemala, I hear his familiar cock-a-doodle-do. I have yet to escape the rooster.
All creation worships its creator. Is that what the rooster does each morning? What is he, the rooster, saying to the world? What is He, the Lord, saying to me? “Awaken your heart to mine, Kurt, and toward all those made in my image. I love each and every tribe, nation, and people. I’m calling you to do the same.”
No matter where the rooster is located, he sounds the same, bold call. The rooster has no insecurities (“Oh, man, people aren’t going to be happy. They were up pretty late last night. It’s not even light out yet. I should probably let them sleep in. What’s the point of all this shouting anyway?”) and he minds no cultural boundaries. The same is true with God’s written Word. It transcends time and culture and it continuously calls us to an awakening.
Just as there are times when I don’t welcome the voice of the rooster, there are times when I resist the call of the Lord to awaken my soul. But just as there’s no “snooze” button for the rooster, God’s voice is persistent. He always breaks through, and I awaken once again.
Thank you, Lord, for your servant, the rooster. His persistence and unwavering call reminds me of who you have called me to be for your purposes. I know I need to be willing to persistently call your people, including myself, to an awakening every morning.
Awaken my heart and soul like you did Peter’s through the rooster, a beckoning (and reckoning) which transformed his life forever. May every believer encounter your clarion call in their lives each day. I am deeply thankful for your grace and mercy that you offer me abundantly each morning. Amen.
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