Watch and Pray

"Watch and pray, lest you enter into temptation. The Spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak." Matthew 26:41

Take some time to meditate on this verse and pray about what God may reveal to you through the thoughts He has given me, or the thoughts that He is giving you as you think and pray. One verse of scripture will speak more into your life and my life than anything I could ever think to say myself.

In Matthew 26:41, Jesus has just finished praying in the garden of Gethsemane, and He returned to find the disciples asleep, even after he had instructed them, "...stay here and watch with Me." Matthew 26:38. The instruction that Christ gives the disciples in verse 41 is something we all need to take heed of. Honestly, when I'm tired at night, I try and make sure that I pray, but it is rarely a wholehearted conversation with God, as prayer should be. Our hearts should desire the kind of prayer that Paul writes of in 1 Corinthians 14:15: "What is the conclusion then? I will pray with the Spirit, and I will also pray with the understanding. I will sing with the Spirit, and I will also sing with the understanding."

Just like the disciples, we have become tired. We have drifted away from being a people of prayer. Our spirits have become exhausted with the worries and fears that our busy lives bring. My hope is that we can return to being a nation of devoted followers of Christ who go to the Lord in prayer constantly. An amazing example of a person of prayer is Nehemiah. The book of Nehemiah opens with a long prayer by Nehemiah to God, announcing his woes and lamentations of his people. Nehemiah was a man who prayed consistently to the Lord, petitioning God for guidance every step of the way. In chapter 2, the book shows a conversation between Nehemiah and the king, as Nehemiah reveals to the king that his people are suffering, and the Nehemiah writes, " Then the king said to me, "What do you request?" So I prayed to the God of heave." Nehemiah 2:4. Nehemiah had just been asked a question by the king, yet, before responding, he goes to the Lord for guidance. I feel as if as a whole (especially me), we have gotten away from the commandment of God  to "pray without ceasing" (1 Thessalonians 5:17) and have drifted towards relying on our guidance.

We drift from prayer because we feel exhausted in our busy schedules, so we either "don't have time" or we rush through our prayer without expressing wholehearted devotion to God. This may be crazy but, maybe the reason why we are so exhausted and our spirits have become weary is BECAUSE  we have drifted so far from prayer. We aren't relying on God's strength and asking Him to help us, and because of that we rely on our own strength which is not nearly sufficient enough. Our spirits are weary, but the Holy Spirit never exhausts itself. We fall into sin so frequently because our flesh is weak. WE are weak. But thankfully, God is strong. As Matthew 26: 41 tells us, "Watch and pray, lest you enter into temptation. The Spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak." The Holy Spirit is ready and willing. Allow the Spirit to guard your heart and do as Jesus commanded and "watch and pray". Put your mind on things of Christ and pray without ceasing. Don't let your spirit become weary. Fill your souls with the Holy Spirit, go out, and make a difference for Christ wherever you are, asking God for guidance every step of the way. Its time for a change.