Title: Watch and Pray (Matthew 26:36-46)
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Before Jesus was crucified, he went up to a place called Gethsemane in Jerusalem to pray. He goes with his disciples and says, 'Sit here while I go over there and pray.' Peter, James, and John take him a little closer to the place of prayer. These three disciples were the core disciples among the disciples who always kept Jesus close. Now Jesus is troubled and grieved. Tomorrow we will face the dire pains and hardships that human beings face. That's why he asks his three beloved disciples, 'Watch with me.' But the disciples are awake and fail to pray. After that, at dawn after Jesus' prayer was finished, he was arrested by the Jews for the betrayal of Judas Iscariot, stood in the court of Caiaphas, and then was sentenced to death in the court of Pilate, the Roman governor, and died on the cross. 'Keep awake and pray' is the Lord's earnest request. This is the request Jesus made to his disciples when he went up to Gethsemane and prayed before the sufferings of the cross. These words are the Lord's counsel to us, who should strive to lead a life of godliness and self-control in the season of Lent.
Why did Jesus tell his disciples to “watch and pray”?
First, because he wanted the disciples to be part of the Lord's suffering process. Jesus wanted to teach His disciples the importance of prayer and victory, the grace of God's atonement, and the process of salvation. That's why he asked his disciples, 'My heart is so troubled that I am about to die, so stay here and watch with me' (verse 38). In Mark 14:33, which records the same incident, it is written, “When he took Peter, James, and John with him, he was greatly astonished and grieved, saying, “My heart is deeply troubled to death, so stay here and watch.” There is. This shows Jesus' heart wanting his beloved disciples to participate in the Lord's prayer process. While we are awake and praying, we come to realize God's providence of salvation, overcome Satan's challenge, and experience the grace of prayer.
Third, because there is not always a time to pray. Verse 45 says, “Then come to the disciples, and now go to sleep and rest. Behold, the hour is near, and the Son of Man is sold into the hands of sinners.” The time to pray has passed. Now is the time to rise up to fulfill your mission. The disciples should have prayed when the Lord prayed, before they parted with the Lord. Only then can you win. But the disciples did not pray when they should. It still is. There are special prayer seasons. According to the church year, now is the time to pray. As we approach the season of Lent, it is a time to think of the sufferings of the Lord and pray. Our church is the Gethsemane Prayer Meeting, which has a special weekly prayer meeting and prays every morning. When you pray like this, you must stay awake and pray. Personally, I should pray when my body is healthy and free. Therefore, it must be a life full of spiritual grace and power. There is not always a time to pray. Please pray now when the Lord tells you to stay awake and pray. Pray now as the Lord gives us the heart and time to pray.
Fourth, because prayer is a grace, not a duty. God always blesses children who pray. So let's pray until we receive an answer. We must leave everything before God and pray. Specifically, you must do it by faith. Let's leave everything to God and pray. Then God intervenes. When God controls the hearts of the praying people and controls their thoughts and actions, we can fulfill the mission God has entrusted to us. Because Jesus was a man of prayer, he was able to carry out the mission of saving mankind through the cross. Therefore, for those of faith, prayer is not an obligation, but a grace and blessing from God, so Jesus told his disciples to keep watch and pray.
So, what was Jesus' prayer?
First, it is a daily prayer. In Luke 22:39, it is recorded that 'Jesus went out and went to the Mount of Olives according to his custom, and his disciples followed him'. Jesus prayed according to habit. This is living prayer. It is saying that we do not only pray when there is a problem, but that prayer life is always one of the habits that cannot be left out of our life. Prayer is life. It is the life itself that should be in my life without a break.
Second, it is prayer to seek God's will. In today's text, Matthew 26:39, he prays, 'If it is possible, let this cup pass from me; but not as I will, but as you will.' This is Jesus' prayer in the Garden of Gethsemane. Prayer to seek God's will is very important. Faith is hoping that God's will will be done, not mine. When we pray with this attitude, God's holy will for us is fulfilled.
Third, we pray with the help of the Holy Spirit. In Luke 22:43 it is recorded that 'an angel appeared to Jesus from heaven and gave him strength.' In the Garden of Gethsemane, Jesus prayed earnestly that his sweat would become drops of blood, but God sent an angel of the Lord to give him strength. Prayer is not something I do in my own strength. This is done with the help of the Holy Spirit. We pray with the strength that God provides. It is praying by being led by the Spirit of God beyond my will, determination, and confession.
Fourth, earnest and repeated prayer. Prayer in the Garden of Gethsemane was a very earnest prayer. The Bible says that Jesus prayed three times over and over again, and the Gospel of Luke records that his sweat became like drops of blood. We must learn these prayers of Jesus. You will receive answers when you cry out to God with concentration and earnestly and do not give up and pray over and over again.
Dear brothers and sisters, the word that the Lord asks His disciples to 'watch and pray' today is a message to us. We are living in difficult times of the IMF, and especially during the season of Lent, now is the time to pray. This is not the time to sleep. It's time to wake up and pray for victory. We must be awake in order to achieve the maturity of faith in the midst of suffering. It is a time to struggle and pray for our faith to be refined like gold in the midst of suffering. We are awake and praying. I hope you have a day of victory through prayer.