⏱ 7 min read

• Yesterday we shared on Jesus’ caution to us to be in preparation and not calculation concerning His 2nd coming, and we delved into committing to our assigned tasks.
• Today (in 3 minutes), we want to look at the other preparatory key that Jesus spoke about: Watch and Pray!
• These verses below speak volumes to me in many ways. First, Jesus was shocked that Peter, James & John could not watch and pray with Him for an hour.

And He took Peter, James, and John with Him, and He began to be troubled and deeply distressed. Then He said to them, “My soul is exceedingly sorrowful, even to death. Stay here and watch…” (v33-34)

Then He came and found them sleeping, and said to Peter, “Simon, are you sleeping? Could you not watch one hour? Watch and pray, lest you enter into temptation. The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak.” (v37-38)

• It seems that after walking with them for 3 years, teaching them to pray, living out that example to them, and especially taking these 3 to the mountain to pray (all-day) during His transfiguration…
• Jesus expected them to be able to understand His present trouble/distress, stay awake, and stand with Him in prayer, for at least an hour.

• Dear friend, let us look at the signs in our world today and let it re-ignite our prayer lives.
• If Jesus told us that “in the last days the love of many will grow cold,” and that “if care is not taken, even the very elect will fall,” and “when the Son of man returns, will He find faith on the earth?“ then we must pray to overcome these coming trials.
• That was Jesus’ expectation of Peter, James, and John (Peter especially): “due to the trouble, distress, sorrow, temptation and death ahead, stay here and pray for at least one hour“.

This should also prompt us to put a measure or milestone in our walk with the Lord and aim for it. Have a Godly aim to increase your prayer time gradually to at least an hour.

• If you’re past this, aim for three hours (as Jesus did in the passage); and if this is also normal for you…
• aim to have personal all-night prayer time (like Jesus did), and then aim for all-day prayer time (perhaps on a holiday) as Jesus did. Let’s just copy Jesus’ example.

The more you fall in love and get to know a love interest, the more you want to spend time with them. May we all be beloved sons and daughters and lovers of God as we spend time with Him in prayer.

We are not talking about religious practices that will make you go to heaven, nor are these standards to demonstrate superiority (as the Pharisees used to do). We are saying that in our private personal relationship with God, let’s learn from Jesus’ prayer life and trust to have the same results that He had.

• Jesus seems to expect from us a certain capacity for prayer as we walk with Him (at least one hour) and He will also be shocked to find you sleeping when you should be praying.
• From the verse, the phrase watch and pray means to stay awake and pray!
• It is okay if we’re praying for 5-10mins to start; let’s graduate it to 15-20mins; then move it to 30mins; and then to an hour; up and up as we walk with the Lord.

The aim is to always pray or pray without ceasing. This is the natural effect of a loving relationship: communication increases. Develop yours.

Secondly, Jesus seems to indicate that prayer is a barrier that prevents us from entering into temptation or falling into it. Sounds consistent with the Lord’s prayer: “Lead us not into temptation…”

• Dear friend, if you do not want to fall pray! If you do not want to fail, pray! If you don’t want to be a prey, pray! Let us build temptation barriers with our prayer lives!
• In Matthew 4, Jesus was led by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. He wasn’t led there to pray or fast – to be tempted.
• But in His preparation for the temptation coming, He decided to fast and pray (Jesus is giving us the same key He used).

That was the decision that helped Him subject His human flesh to His willing spirit and overcome the temptations (this leads us to our final point).

Thirdly, Jesus shows us that our flesh or physical body does not easily conform to our spiritual desires. Earlier in this passage, Peter boldly declared (with his chest) that he would never deny Jesus, even to the point of death (v29-31).

• Peter really meant these words, they were spoken from his spirit and his innermost desire to be by Jesus’ side to the end… But his flesh could not conform to these wonderful desires just yet.
• His flesh was consumed with fear, people’s opinions, self-interest, or self-preservation, and he easily denied Jesus (v66-72).
• What are your innermost desires? What are your spiritual desires? To be more humble, disciplined, truthful, loving, patient, joyful, strong in faith, kind, loyal, successful, live above lust, etc.?

Peter said to him, “Even if everyone else deserts you, I never will.”
Jesus replied, “I tell you the truth, Peter—this very night, before the rooster crows twice, you will deny three times that you even know me.”
“No!” Peter declared emphatically. “Even if I have to die with you, I will never deny you!” And all the others vowed the same.

• If only our flesh just conformed to these great desires, but hey Jesus gives us a solution to this: prayer!
• Prayer seems to overcome the inconsistency our flesh has with our innermost desires and subdues the flesh to conform to our willing spirit.

I pray these three points will encourage us all to pray and to love to pray without ceasing, as we prepare for our Lord’s second coming. Heyy… you’re blessed and highly favored and dearly loved!