“Watch and pray so that you will not fall into temptation.”
Mark 14:38
In Jesus’s hour of distress, He took three of His disciples Peter, James and John with Him to Gethsemane for support. But they failed miserably. In verse 34 He said to them “The sorrow in my heart is so great that it almost crushes me. Stay here and keep watch.” Jesus knew that a terrible cup of sorrow awaited Him. “Yet it was the Lord’s will to crush him and cause him to suffer” writes (Isa. 53:10) Jesus knew that he could not escape the Way of the Cross, and yet, because He was also human, He asked whether His Father would not take the cup from Him.
Jesus knew that his heavenly Father could change his circumstances but chose to abide by the will of his Father. We too become distressed and anxious at times when God does not respond to our prayers even though we know that everything is possible for him. Sometimes God says “no” to his children as he did to his Son Jesus, because he has a greater purpose for us. If God had agreed to Jesus’s request, his coming into this world would have been in vain. Whenever God says “no” we often realize afterwards that he indeed knew best.
Peter, James and John failed to stay awake and pray with Jesus and kept falling asleep until Jesus had to tell them that his hour had come. Immediately afterwards, the soldiers came to take him captive. The disciples could not even succeed in staying awake with the Master for an hour. They did not follow Jesus’s advice to watch and pray so that they could not fall into temptation.
It is also necessary for us to watch and pray if we want to resist worldly temptation. To watch, means to be on our guard. “Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour” (1 Peter 5:8) He knows exactly where to find the weak sports in your spiritual armour. Be alert so that he will not catch you unaware and cause you to fall into his trap. To pray implies that you turn to God for help. Ask him to deliver you from evil. He promises that he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. When you feel tempted, God will provide a way out. Watch and pray!!!
Sending Easter blessings of faith, hope, and love.
Sipiwe Chisvo World President
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