WATCH AND PRAY... + Daily Devotional + Monday, March 20, 2012

MONDAY, MARCH 20, 2012

Mark 14:38  “Watch and pray lest ye enter into temptation…”

SCRIPTURE READING: MARK 14:32-41

32 And they came to a place which was named Gethsemane: and he saith to his disciples, Sit ye here, while I shall pray.

33 And he taketh with him Peter and James and John, and began to be sore amazed, and to be very heavy;

34 And saith unto them, My soul is exceeding sorrowful unto death: tarry ye here, and watch.

35 And he went forward a little, and fell on the ground, and prayed that, if it were possible, the hour might pass from him.

36 And he said, Abba, Father, all things are possible unto thee; take away this cup from me: nevertheless not what I will, but what thou wilt.

37 And he cometh, and findeth them sleeping, and saith unto Peter, Simon, sleepest thou? couldest not thou watch one hour?

38 Watch ye and pray, lest ye enter into temptation. The spirit truly is ready, but the flesh is weak.

39 And again he went away, and prayed, and spake the same words.

40 And when he returned, he found them asleep again, (for their eyes were heavy,) neither wist they what to answer him.

41 And he cometh the third time, and saith unto them, Sleep on now, and take your rest: it is enough, the hour is come; behold, the Son of man is betrayed into the hands of sinners.

REFLECTION:  It wasn’t the first time that Jesus had to wake up His disciples.  Luke tells us that they fell asleep on the Mount of Transfiguration.  Both Matthew and Mark tell us that they fell asleep in the Garden of Gethsemane. At our Lord’s invocation and at His benediction the disciples couldn’t keep their eyes open. Why are these disciples so drowsy?

Jesus seems disappointed as he stirs them in Gethsemane, “Watch and pray, lest ye enter into temptation.”  He explains their failure, “The spirit is ready, but the flesh is weak.”

Physically worn from the Passover preparations, emotionally drained by all that they had experienced that evening, Jesus explained their sleepiness, “the flesh is weak.”

It would be imprudent to assume that the Lord had reference only to the disciples’ physical exhaustion.  This was more.  This was a spiritual weakness of the flesh that the Apostle Paul identifies as our carnal disposition that lusteth against the spirit. (For the flesh lusteth against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh: and these are contrary the one to the other: so that ye cannot do the things that ye would. Galatians 5:17).

Dr. Benner observed, “It is this condition in the hearts of professing Christians today that produces, sleepy, stupefied, apathetic, disciples.” (Herald of Holiness, 1955)

All around us we see challenges and opportunities but too many disciples have been anesthetized by the carnal impulse within and the distracting din of this world without.

The Apostle Paul urges the Christians at Rome, “It is high time to awake out of sleep: for now is our salvation nearer than when we believed.  The night is far spent, the day is at hand: let us cast off the works of darkness, and up on the armor of light…Put ye on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh, to fulfil the lusts thereof.” (Romans 13:11-12,14)

He exhorts the Ephesians, “Awake thou that sleepest, and arise from the dead, and Christ shall give thee light.  See then that ye walk circumspectly, not as fools, but as wise. Redeeming the time, because the days are evil.” (Ephesians 5:14-16)

To the Corinthians he simply says, “Awake to righteousness, and sin not.” (1 Corinthians 15:34)

How tragic that at the precise moment when the people of God need to be “watching” and “praying” for themselves, for their families, for their churches, and for their nation, the Savior finds us sleeping.

Benner’s prayer is our heart’s cry: “May the Church of this day hear the clarion call of the prophet, “AWAKE THOU THAT SLEEPEST!” Shake off the temptation to lethargy, let the burning Spirit of God cleanse from every disposition to spiritual drowsiness, and face the tremendous challenge of these times with energy, courage, resourcefulness, and full devotion to our Lord!” 

PRAYER: Father in Heaven, It thrills our souls to know that “He that keepeth Israel shall neither slumber nor sleep.”  Whenever, wherever, and for whatever, we know that our help “comes from the Lord who made heaven and earth.”  What assurance and comfort we find in the awareness that you are there even now for us.   Our hearts are challenged and convicted by your Word. Oh Lord, wake us if we are sleeping, rouse us if we are drowsy, and may we be fully awake to your Word, to your Will, and to your High and Holy calling for us today.  In the name of Jesus, Amen. “Our Father, &c.”

HE WENT A LITTLE FURTHER... + Daily Devotion + Sunday, March 18, 2012

SUNDAY, MARCH 18, 2012

Matthew 26:39 “And he went a little further and began to pray…”

SCRIPTURE READING: MATTHEW 26:36-45

36 Then cometh Jesus with them unto a place called Gethsemane, and saith unto the disciples, Sit ye here, while I go and pray yonder.

37 And he took with him Peter and the two sons of Zebedee, and began to be sorrowful and very heavy.

38 Then saith he unto them, My soul is exceeding sorrowful, even unto death: tarry ye here, and watch with me.

39 And he went a little further, and fell on his face, and prayed, saying, O my Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me: nevertheless not as I will, but as thou wilt.

40 And he cometh unto the disciples, and findeth them asleep, and saith unto Peter, What, could ye not watch with me one hour?

41 Watch and pray, that ye enter not into temptation: the spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak.

42 He went away again the second time, and prayed, saying, O my Father, if this cup may not pass away from me, except I drink it, thy will be done.

43 And he came and found them asleep again: for their eyes were heavy.

44 And he left them, and went away again, and prayed the third time, saying the same words.

45 Then cometh he to his disciples, and saith unto them, Sleep on now, and take your rest: behold, the hour is at hand, and the Son of man is betrayed into the hands of sinners.

REFLECTION: 

It was not the first time Jesus had gone there to pray.  So far as we know, it was His last.  Never again would Jesus and his disciples pray together in Gethsemane.

Huddled around the heavy-hearted Savior the eleven tentatively walk, softly talk. The light of the waning moon filters through the olive trees.  Judas had not yet arrived with his malicious consorts.

Jesus asked His disciples to pray.

He asked Peter, James, and John to walk with Him further into the Garden. “My soul is exceeding sorrowful,” he cried.  He asked them to pray there.

Then “He went a little further.”

When Jesus prayed He did not stop at “Let this cup pass from me.”  He went a little further.  He prayed, “Nevertheless, not my will but thine.”  I’m so glad He went a little further.

When Jesus suffered indignity and injustice at the hands of the chief priest and his allies, and then again the courtrooms of Pilate and of Herod, “He went a little further.”  He picked up His own cross and carried it. I’m so thankful He went a little further.

Nailed on a cross hewed out of wood from a tree He planted, by men He created, with nails formed of ore He had made, Jesus went a little further.  He forgave those accountable for His death, witnessed to the thief who was dying next to Him, and then dismissed His Spirit.  Praise God, “He went a little further.”

He showed us how to pray.  He showed us how to surrender.  He showed us how to suffer.  He showed us how to die. He showed us how to rise again.  Always He went “a little further.”

Think how different our lives would be if we would follow in His steps, and go, “a little further:”

…If children would go “a little further” to obey and honor their parents,

…If parents would go “a little further” to bring their children up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord,

…If husbands would go “a little further” to please their wives.

…If wives would go “a little further” to please their husbands,

…If workers would go “a little further” to do an excellent job,

…If employers would go “a little further” to reward good employees,

…If God’s ministers would go “a little further” to please God rather than men,

…If God’s people would go “a little further” to pursue peace and holiness,

…If the people of God would go “a little further” to be understanding, even if not understood,

…If all who profess to love God would go “a little further” to be loyal, faithful, children of God, sincerely loving God and one another…

What a difference it would make in our homes, our churches, our communities, and our nation, if we would go “a little further” in our love and in our determination to do the will of God.

Why is it that intellectually all of this makes such good sense but practically it seems so difficult to live? The answer is before us.  Like the disciples we have fallen asleep at precisely the place and the time when we ought to be watching, praying, and surrendering.

Jesus knows our problem, “the spirit is willing but the flesh is weak.”  But he urges us, “watch and pray.”  

Hear Him praying? “Nevertheless, not my will but thine…”  Now pray that.  It’s time we go “a little further.”

PRAYER: Father in Heaven, We are struck by the truth that you are the Father to whom Christ prayed in Gethsemane.  You are the Father who strengthened our Savior in every trial, and especially the greatest trial.  Even when it seemed that you were nowhere to be found, you were everywhere to be found.  We thank you for being here for us.  We believe in you Lord.  You have made all the difference in our lives.  And now we hear your voice, softly and tenderly, pleading its time we go “a little further.”  We pray—O God show us any defect in our will—“Not my will but thine be done.” For thine is the Kingdom and the power and the glory forever. In the name of Jesus, Amen. “Our Father, &c”