“Watch and pray …”
Watch and pray so that you will not fall into temptation. The spirit is willing, but the body is weak. (Mark 14:38; NIV. Please read Mark 14 … at least a couple of times.)
Jesus was “deeply distressed” … “overwhelmed with sorrow to the point of death”.
He did not rely on their help often … but he asked them to “keep watch” for Him.
They wouldn’t … they couldn’t.
Jesus explained it. “The spirit is willing, but the body is weak.” He is no different. He understands the weakness of flesh. But He knows that if He does not … if they do not “watch and pray” … He will and they will “fall into temptation”.
No wonder Peter fought rather than followed … no wonder he denied rather died.
ON SECOND THOUGHT: Me, too. If I do not “watch and pray”, I will also fall into temptation. Look at my life. I live with the consequences of not watching and praying … with the consequences of falling into temptation … everyday. Jesus warned me, too. “Watch and pray”. If I know that my body is weak – then I have to find a way not to give in to my flesh while I “watch” for Him.
August 17, 2008 at 2:26 pm
I need to take “watching and praying” a lot more seriously in my life. I’ve struggled with lots of “big” things and had I “watched and prayed” they all could have been avoided. Right now I don’t feel like I have evil lurking all around like I did back then … BUT … that’s a dangerous place to be. Because when we stop “watching and praying” … we fall. I have gotten comfortable in my little world that I live in right now … it feels safe because I’ve made it into somewhat of a cocoon. That makes me feel safe and like I’m in control … BUT … that’s a dangerous place to be. I do not think there is ever a time that we should not “watch and pray” because temptation is all around. It may not seem like “big” things are lurking, but what we view as “little” can grow quickly if we are not “watching and praying”.
August 17, 2008 at 4:48 pm
Falling into temptation is just so easy. It’s falling…not climbing, jumping over, diving into..but falling. You usually don’t fall on purpose, it is normally an accident, unplanned. Jesus says watch and pray. We have to be aware of the things that are coming at us. Today we talked about the verses in Proverbs that tell us to fix our eyes ahead of us and make level paths for ourselves. Watch out for those things that you know will cause you to stumble and fall. See them coming and go away from them! WATCH OUT! And pray. Pray for strength and wisdom and foresight. If we can keep our eyes fixed on Jesus, He will help us avoid those pitfalls that are in our path. I need to listen to Jesus here…watch and pray. Don’t get lazy or lukewarm.