Day 2: Watch and Pray
Then [Jesus] returned to His disciples and found them sleeping. “Couldn’t you men keep watch with Me for one hour?” He asked Peter. “Watch and pray so that you will not fall into temptation. The spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak” (Matthew 26:40-41).
Our Father in heaven, You are always with us — You do not forsake us in our greatest hour of need. The Lord Jesus knew that, as He faced the cross and the greatest ordeal ever faced by anyone in the world. And He asked His disciples to "stay here and keep watch with Me" (Matthew 26:38). But they fell asleep.
"Watch and pray," the Lord Jesus admonished them, "so that you will not fall into temptation" (Matthew 26:41). Amazingly, He focused on their welfare, and their benefit, as He gave this instruction, although His own soul was overwhelmed with sorrow to the point of death (Matthew 26:38).
Lord, teach us! Like the disciples we slumber when You call us to pray. And then we are caught unawares, and respond inappropriately — using swords to combat what prayer was meant to conquer (Matthew 26:51-54). And in our weak and failing flesh, we retreat, and abandon the trust You have assigned to us (Matthew 26:56).
You know us so well, O God! You know that our spirit is willing, but our flesh is weak (Matthew 26:41). Our good intentions cannot defeat temptation. But Your protective armor, and the sword of the Spirit, wielded with prayer, is our sure defense (Ephesians 6:10-17).
Father, strengthen us against the weakness of our flesh — weakness that drives us to the complacency of slumber rather than to the vigilance of prayer. Help us to pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. Help us to be alert and always keep on praying for all the Lord’s people (Ephesians 6:18). Help us to watch and pray.
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