Will You Watch and Pray?

 

“Then Jesus came with them to a place called Gethsemane, and said to the disciples,  “Sit here while I go and pray over there.”  And He took with Him Peter and the two sons of Zebedee, and He began to be sorrowful and deeply distressed.  Then He said to them “My soul is exceedingly sorrowful, even to death.  Stay here and watch with Me.”

He went a little farther and fell on His face, and prayed, saying “O My Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from Me; nevertheless, not as I will but as You will.”  Then He came to the disciples and found them sleeping, and said to Peter “What!  Could you not watch with Me one hour?  Watch and pray, lest you enter into temptation.  The spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak.”

Again, a second time, He went away and prayed, saying, “O My Father, if this cup cannot pass away from Me unless I drink it, Your will be done.”  And He came and found them asleep again, for their eyes were heavy.  So He left them, went away again, and prayed the third time, saying the same words.

Then He came to His disciples and said to them, “Are you still sleeping and resting?  Behold, the hour is at hand, and the Son of Man is being betrayed into the hands of sinners.  Rise, let us be going.  See, My betrayer is at hand.” (Matthew 26:36-46)

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Gethsemane was where the real battle raged for the Lord Jesus.  This was where He sacrificed His life.  This is where He really laid it down.  His flesh was screaming at Him: NO! I don’t want to die at thirty-three!  I don’t want to be beaten!  I don’t want to be tortured and nailed to a rough tree!  His plea was “Father, is there any other way?”  His flesh and soul were at war with His Spirit over US.  The rubber was meeting the road and as a Man, Jesus had to make the choice to lay down His life for a bunch of people who hated Him.  Not only those in that day and time but for those who, today, still hate Him.  He could have chosen to let us all go to Hell.  Except for one thing: His Father’s deep LOVE for each one of us and His deep love for both His Father AND us.  This one thing was the deciding factor for Him to go to the Cross.

But wait!  He brought reinforcements…or did He?  First, He brought ALL His disciples to Gethsemane.  He told them to stay there while He went and prayed.  He didn’t ask them to pray with Him.  Instead, He then brought Peter, James and John, His best friends, to come with Him.  He asked them to watch His back and to pray with Him in support.   He desperately needed prayer support that night.  Did He get it?  No, He did not get anything from them.  His best friends chose sleep over His desperate need.  Not just once, but three times He found them sleeping.  After the third time, it was too late.  His enemies were there to get Him.  He had battled all by Himself.  I have to wonder: what blessing did they miss out on by sleeping instead of praying with Him?  Perhaps, Peter wouldn’t have denied Him?  Who knows?

The same war that was raging then is raging now.  It is the war for the souls of men.  Jesus Christ came to seek and to save that which is lost.  During His time here on Earth, He did just that over and over again.  Many, many people in that time are in heaven right now because of Jesus’ ministry.  After His resurrection, He gave the job to His followers…the Church of Jesus Christ.

Everything that comes from God’s throne to the earth must come through PRAYER.  The souls of men are won through PRAYER.  Mountains of impossibilities in nations are moved through PRAYER.  The vilest of situations are overcome through PRAYER.  The same request from the Lord Jesus Christ is still hanging before us in the twenty-first century.  Will you watch and pray?

The prayers of the saints of God are the most precious thing to our Father.  Prayers for the lost to be found are of great value to Him.  Taking the time out of our busy lives to pray for the lost is important to God.  There are many things that God wants to do in the earth right now that are hindered because His people won’t pray.  When God finds a group of believers who are willing to pray day after day, night after night…even all night if necessary.  When He finds this level of prayer, He will pour out His power into their lives to fulfill the plans He has.

God Almighty has chosen to use people to fulfill the plans He has for the earth.  Why?  Because He gave the earth to people.  He wants to bless us, but those blessings won’t come through from heaven to Earth except through prayer.  The same question remains uttered by our Lord Jesus Christ: Will YOU watch and pray with Me?

To the lone intercessor: you aren’t really alone in your prayers.  He is watching with you!  Keep praying intercessors!  Great is your reward!

Blessings everyone…