Tag: alarm

Posted in Through the Bible Devotions

Persistent prayer

Posted on by William Douthwaite
Photo by Jack Sharp on Unsplash

Some “through the bible” thoughts from Luke 18.

“[Jesus] told them a parable to the effect that they ought always to pray and not lose heart” (Luke 18:1). The good news in Jesus’s parable (18:1-8) is that we don’t have to wear down God with relentless prayer like an uncaring judge. We know God will respond in just the right way at just the right time.

It’s not that I lose heart. It’s all the distractions that compete for my attention. Morning prayer is easy. It’s part of my early day routine. After that, life gets busy.

In the Old Testament, Daniel prayed three times a day, every day. He didn’t abandon that habit when threatened with lions (Daniel 6). Someone suggested a similar system. Set an alarm for noon and late afternoon, a simple, personal call to prayer. It’s not a bad idea. When my phone buzzes in my pocket, I remember to pray. When that alarm goes off, God shows up on my radar. I don’t pray for a long time. I just give thanks for whatever is going on, or pray for whoever’s around at that moment.

A bell summons monks away from work to prayer in monasteries. Why not use technology to my advantage? What a great way to weave prayer in the fabric of a day.

Posted in Life

It’s not so bad: Waking up before my alarm

Posted on by William Douthwaite

“Man, that’s loud!”

I reached over and found my phone and punched my finger all over the screen until the alarm stopped. I was already awake, just laying there waiting for the vibration and soft sounds that would have woken me up if I were still asleep. I could have sworn I turned the volume all the way down. My wife didn’t move. Maybe she didn’t hear it. She did. “That was loud.”

To be fair, I’ve got a new phone and this was the first time I’ve actually set the alarm to go off in the morning. One of the perks of retirement is that you don’t have to set an alarm. You can wake up whenever your body says, “I’ve had enough sleep.” However, I still wake up early, just like I used to. In fact, when I do set my alarm, I usually wake up a few minutes before it goes off. I rarely wake to the alarm. Why is that? How does my body know when to wake up? And why don’t I trust my body enough so that I don’t have to set an alarm?

I did a little internet research. Apparently it’s common for people to wake up just before the alarm goes off. If you usually get up at the same time each day, your “body clock” knows that and gets you going around that time. In addition, your subconscious knows you’ve set your alarm because you’ve got something going on and wakes you around the time you set on your alarm.

Well, my subconscious is pretty good at knowing what’s going on the next day. I don’t think I’ve ever overslept and been late in the morning. I never trusted my subconscious, though. When I positively, absolutely had to get up on a Sunday morning for church, I set two alarms. Just in case. I was never late for church.

And while we’re on the topic, here’s another thing that bothers me. Why does my mind wait until just before I wake up to have my most interesting and vivid dreams? Why do I dream the most just before I wake up? I’m sure there is some science behind this. Perhaps the most recent dreams are the ones I remember the most.

Anyway, I found out how to quiet down my alarm. It’s in settings, under “sounds and haptics.”