Title: Watch and pray / Matthew 26:41
Watch and pray / Matthew 26:41
“Watch and pray, least you fall into temptation, the spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak” (Matthew 26:41).
After having the last supper with his disciples, Jesus went up to the Garden of Gethsemane. And in front of the suffering of the cross, I prayed obedience to Heavenly Father. After praying, he came to the disciples and found them sleeping. At this time, he said to Peter, "Couldn't you have been so awake even during the time you were with me?" He said to him, "Watch and pray so that you may not fall into temptation. The spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak." Why should we watch and pray?
First, in order not to pass the exam. A believer can always live a victorious life through continuous fellowship with God. In fact, Jesus' prayer in Gethsemane was not a special prayer. He went up to the Garden of Gethsemane at the set prayer time according to his custom and prayed. The proof that the saints are awake is prayer. As Christians, we must not make the mistake of trying to do good, do many things, and do important things on our own.
Second, our bodies are weak. The saints cannot carry out the mission God has given them without the power of God. It means that if you do not watch and pray, you will fail. That's why Jesus said, "Watch and pray," and said, "The heart is willing, but the flesh is weak." It is not that the disciples did not have the heart to follow Jesus well, but that they could make the mistake of denying the Lord because of their weak flesh.
In fact, Peter boasted, "Even if all forsake you, I will never forsake you" (Matthew 26:33), but when Jesus was taken, he cursed and denied it (Matthew 26:74). Peter, who has failed so thoroughly, weeps as he remembers the words of the Lord along with the crow of a rooster. I should have prayed, not to be sure, and not to respond according to my feelings.
Saints! Likewise today, the Lord calls us to “watch and pray.” Peter's weakness is my weakness. Faith is the relationship of life with the Lord in which we deny ourselves and depend on Him as our life. Therefore, prayer is not a sign of religion, not a form of godliness, but a fellowship and power of life.