This morning in prayer I was meditating on Jesus’ words in Mark 13:35, “Watch ye therefore; for ye know not when the master of the house cometh, at even, or at midnight, or at the cockcrowing, or in the morning; lest coming suddenly he find you sleeping. And what I say unto you I say unto all, Watch.” I found two definitions for this word in the Greek. Together, both words basically mean to be sleepless, keep awake, be vigilant, watchful, awake. But what does it mean to be sleepless in the spiritual sense of the word?
In the garden Jesus warned Peter to “watch and pray so that you do not give in to temptation.” But Peter didn’t listen to Jesus and allowed slumber to overtake him. Why? Peter slumbered because he did not discern the hour. Even it he could have discerned it, he was so full of self-confidence and spiritual pride that he failed to see his need of God. It is the awareness of our own weakness and inability that drives us to seek God. As it was, Peter was unaware that he was about to face what was perhaps the greatest trial of his life, so he took a little cat nap. Not maintaining connection to God in prayer, his spirit fell asleep. He denies his Lord even though his heart and intention was set on dying with Jesus. The oil in his lamp had run dry, and all that he had to draw on in the hour of his trial was the power of his flesh.
Yet, only a few short feet away from Him, Jesus, the Son of God, labored in prayer with the Father. Peter, the man, full of pride and good intentions, sleeps while the Son of God cries out to God. The contrast is impossible to ignore. Peter‘s rhythmic, soft breath lulling him into a dreamy sleep as Jesus gasps for air between sobs of agony. Peter’s sleep is not the sleep of childlike faith, the sleep of Jesus in the boat during the storm. Peter’s sleep was the sleep of spiritual ignorance. Jesus, awake and full of understanding of the hour that was upon him, prostrates himself before God in complete dependence. Peter, unaware of the hour, sprawled out on the ground in spiritual blindness and self-confidence. Why pray when you can sleep?
Jesus knew correctly discerned the hour of temptation because he had been abiding in the Father’s presence. He had been watching and praying. “For we know not what to pray, but the Spirit helps us in our weakness.” He knew the source of his strength. Not Peter. His pride had blinded him to his need of God. We see his pride most famously in his zealous proclamation that he would gladly die with Jesus. Peter had not yet grasped the weakness of his flesh. Not yet. But he was soon to see what Jesus meant when he declared, “Apart from me, you can do nothing.” It was a costly lesson, but one that we all must learn if we are to stand in His strength and not our own. As our example, Jesus lived constantly in a state of spiritual sleeplessness. Daily, he stayed connected in prayer, ever listening, abiding, obeying, trusting.
I am convinced that every test, every trial, every difficulty that we experience is a divine opportunity to enter into a greater measure of God’s divine life and power. The Lord is not afraid of Satan’s tempting; it’s his most powerful weapon! Immediately after filling Jesus with the fullness of the Spirit, that same Spirit drove Jesus into the wilderness to be tempted by Satan. The Spirit of God is not afraid of Satan; he couldn’t wait to rumble with him.
The same thing must happen in our lives. The Spirit fills us with himself, them compels us into the wilderness to confront Satan, to overcome him. This is part of God’s purpose in gifting us with his precious Holy Spirit, that we will obey him fully, overcoming every Satanic temptation and delusion. In clinging to God’s will and believing his word, we reverse Adam and Eve’s failure to obey. And Jesus showed us the key to overcoming, and that is to stay awake, to watch and to pray, to constantly commune with the Father. He said we do this because our spirits are willing, but our flesh is weak. Likewise, it’s so important that we remain in prayer to discern the hour in which we are now living. Without a vital, living, moment by moment connection with Him we will not have the discernment and strength that we need to discern the hour, and what is required of us. “And what I say unto you, I say unto all, Watch.”
In the garden Jesus warned Peter to “watch and pray so that you do not give in to temptation.” But Peter didn’t listen to Jesus and allowed slumber to overtake him. Why? Peter slumbered because he did not discern the hour. Even it he could have discerned it, he was so full of self-confidence and spiritual pride that he failed to see his need of God. It is the awareness of our own weakness and inability that drives us to seek God. As it was, Peter was unaware that he was about to face what was perhaps the greatest trial of his life, so he took a little cat nap. Not maintaining connection to God in prayer, his spirit fell asleep. He denies his Lord even though his heart and intention was set on dying with Jesus. The oil in his lamp had run dry, and all that he had to draw on in the hour of his trial was the power of his flesh.
Yet, only a few short feet away from Him, Jesus, the Son of God, labored in prayer with the Father. Peter, the man, full of pride and good intentions, sleeps while the Son of God cries out to God. The contrast is impossible to ignore. Peter‘s rhythmic, soft breath lulling him into a dreamy sleep as Jesus gasps for air between sobs of agony. Peter’s sleep is not the sleep of childlike faith, the sleep of Jesus in the boat during the storm. Peter’s sleep was the sleep of spiritual ignorance. Jesus, awake and full of understanding of the hour that was upon him, prostrates himself before God in complete dependence. Peter, unaware of the hour, sprawled out on the ground in spiritual blindness and self-confidence. Why pray when you can sleep?
Jesus knew correctly discerned the hour of temptation because he had been abiding in the Father’s presence. He had been watching and praying. “For we know not what to pray, but the Spirit helps us in our weakness.” He knew the source of his strength. Not Peter. His pride had blinded him to his need of God. We see his pride most famously in his zealous proclamation that he would gladly die with Jesus. Peter had not yet grasped the weakness of his flesh. Not yet. But he was soon to see what Jesus meant when he declared, “Apart from me, you can do nothing.” It was a costly lesson, but one that we all must learn if we are to stand in His strength and not our own. As our example, Jesus lived constantly in a state of spiritual sleeplessness. Daily, he stayed connected in prayer, ever listening, abiding, obeying, trusting.
I am convinced that every test, every trial, every difficulty that we experience is a divine opportunity to enter into a greater measure of God’s divine life and power. The Lord is not afraid of Satan’s tempting; it’s his most powerful weapon! Immediately after filling Jesus with the fullness of the Spirit, that same Spirit drove Jesus into the wilderness to be tempted by Satan. The Spirit of God is not afraid of Satan; he couldn’t wait to rumble with him.
The same thing must happen in our lives. The Spirit fills us with himself, them compels us into the wilderness to confront Satan, to overcome him. This is part of God’s purpose in gifting us with his precious Holy Spirit, that we will obey him fully, overcoming every Satanic temptation and delusion. In clinging to God’s will and believing his word, we reverse Adam and Eve’s failure to obey. And Jesus showed us the key to overcoming, and that is to stay awake, to watch and to pray, to constantly commune with the Father. He said we do this because our spirits are willing, but our flesh is weak. Likewise, it’s so important that we remain in prayer to discern the hour in which we are now living. Without a vital, living, moment by moment connection with Him we will not have the discernment and strength that we need to discern the hour, and what is required of us. “And what I say unto you, I say unto all, Watch.”
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