WATCH AND PRAY, Could you not keep watch for one hour? Mark 14:37
In the place called Gethsemane(olive oil press) the humanity of Jesus is very apparent. He is facing a terrible ordeal and his flesh is cringing at the thought of what must happen. He tells His disciples to wait while He goes a bit further to pray, taking Peter, James and John along with Him.
‘Going a little farther, He fell to the ground and prayed that if possible the hour(of trial) might pass from Him. Abba, Father, everything is possible for You. Take this cup from Me. Yet not what I will, but what You will’.
Then He returned to His disciples and found them sleeping(unaware of the lateness and seriousness of the hour). ‘Simon, are you asleep? Could you not keep watch with Me for one hour? Watch and pray(both are required) so that you will not fall into temptation. The spirit is willing, but the body/flesh is weak’. Mark 14:35-38
Three times in all Jesus went and prayed and each time the disciples were asleep. Jesus prepared for the great ordeal ahead by lying on the ground, essentially alone, crying out to His Father. Jesus wasn’t caught unprepared, He had been watching and praying!
In 1 Samuel 15:10,11 Then the word of the Lord came to Samuel. “I am grieved that I have made Saul king, because he has turned away from Me and has not carried out My instructions”. Samuel was troubled and cried out to the Lord all that night. (Samuel was dedicated to the Lord before his conception and couldn’t just go to sleep while God was grieving because of Saul).
The church today needs to ‘wake up’ and hear anew the words of Jesus, watch and pray so that we don’t FALL into temptation. The disciples didn’t grasp the hour in which they were living and submitted to their flesh and slept. The situation in the world is changing and becoming more hostile to people who truly follow Jesus. We need to prepare for the days ahead so that we know what to do when the hour of trial comes to us as it came to our Lord. We need to take time to get His priorities for the times ahead.
May God bless us and keep us in every trial and may we be strengthened to do His will.