16 July 2014 by Adeline Lum CM-
Hours before Jesus was crucified, He brought the disciples to watch and pray with Him while He went to pray by himself. But although the request was so simple unlike the casting out off demons, the disciples were unable to fulfill the request.
On 6th of July, Sr Pr Vincent Leoh of Glad Tidings Petaling Jaya shared about why we need to watch and pray.
“Watch and pray so that you will not fall into temptation. The spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak.” (Matt 26:41)
The word ‘watch and pray’ appeared three times in the New Testament (Mat 26:41 NIV, Mark 14:38 NIV,Mark 13:33 KJV).
WATCH
The word ‘watch’ either meant gregoreuo and agrupneo in Greek, which meant keeping awake or being sleepless. Metaphorically, it also meant being aware or being vigilant.
In the spiritual sense, Pr Vincent shared that being watchful meant developing spiritual discernment, becoming more aware of the world’s happenings, and becoming more aware of God’s work in the world.
WATCH + PRAY
Besides watching, Jesus has also commanded his disciples to pray, showing how watching and praying are two separate and independent activities.
In fact, watching and praying is not a foreign practice in the Old Testament. We can see this practice in the book of Nehemiah, when Nehemiah built the walls of Jerusalem. Aware by the enemies’ threat, Nehemiah first prayed to God and posted a guard to watch day and night to meet this threat. (Neh 4:9)
But we prayed to our God and posted a guard day and night to meet this threat. (Neh 4:9)
“No matter what we do in our life especially in encountering trials and troubles, the first thing we do is to pray. Prayer is the horse that pulls the cart, therefore we need to pray first thing in the morning,” said Pr Vincent.
Why pray and watch? Pr Vincent shared that prayer without watchfulness is hypocrisy because we deliberately allow ourselves to step into areas of temptation although we pray against it.
On the other hand, watching without praying is equally powerless because we place our confidence in our flesh, which is bound to fail.
SMART CHRISTIAN = WATCH + PRAY
Hence, a smart Christian would watch and pray like a watchman at night!
Entrusted with the duty to guard the city, Pr Vincent shared that a watchman holds the important responsibility of being watchful of all intrusions and attacks. In fact, the role of a watchman is so important in the olden days that he could be executed if he was found sleeping! (Eze 33:1-9)
But if the watchman sees the sword coming and does not blow the trumpet to warn the people and the sword comes and takes someone’s life, that person’s life will be taken because of their sin, but I will hold the watchman accountable for their blood. (Eze 33:6)
WHY WATCH + PRAY?
#1 Win over Temptations
Pr Vincent shared that the first purpose Jesus asked us to watch and pray is to prepare us spiritually to triumph over temptations.
When Jesus knew He was about to be crucified, He brought Peter, James, and John to the Garden of Gethsemane to watch and pray with Him. But alas! Unaware of the impending crucifixion of Christ, the three disciples fell asleep instead. And because they have not watch and pray as commanded by Christ, they fell away by their flesh.
Peter, for example, reacted in his flesh and cut off the ear of the high priest’s servant. (John 18:10) Later on, he also denied Christ three times in the courtyard where Jesus was taken. (Mark 14:66-72)
When did Peter fall? Pr Vincent shared that Peter did not fall in the courtyard but at the Garden of Gethsemane. Instead of watching and praying during those crucial moments, he slept instead.
Larry Lea (a pastor of the Church on a Rock in Texas) said it well with the state of churches today:
Mirrored in that tragic scene is the plight of the church today. Jesus, our interceding High Priest, is praying; His disciples are sleeping; and Satan is winning contest after contest by default. It would be impossible to calculate the failures, the ruined reputations, the defeats, the broken homes, and the other multiple tragedies that could have been avoided in believers prayed. It would be impossible to measure the destruction that could have been turned and the judgment that might have been averted if only God’s people had taken time to pray.
#2 Guard over Sin
The second purpose we watch and pray is to stay sober and watch out for the enemy. Why should we be alert? This is because Satan is a roaring lion on the prowl, seeking whom he may devour. (1 Pet 5:8)
Be alert and of sober mind. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. (1 Pet 5:8)
Pr Vincent shared that christians who do not watch and pray (being alert) are easy preys to falling into sin.
#3 Prepare for Christ’s Return
Finally, the third purpose to watch and pray is to set our minds to be continuously prepared for Christ’s return.
Therefore keep watch, because you do not know on what day your Lord will come. (Matt 24:42)
But of that day or hour no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but the Father alone. Take heed, keep on the alert; for you do not know when the appointed time will come. (Mark 13:32-33)
Like a bride waiting for her groom, we the church, is in a period of engagement with our bridegroom Jesus Christ. Till the day we meet Him, we are waiting for our time to be married with Him in Heaven.
However, nobody knows when Christ is coming back. That is why we must be prepared for His Arrival, like how the bride awaits her bridegroom to come claim her anytime!
“Look, I come like a thief! Blessed is the one who stays awake and remains clothed, so as not to go naked and be shamefully exposed.” (Rev 16:15)
HOW TO WATCH + PRAY?
How then do we watch and pray? Pr Vincent shared that it is the matter of releasing the Spirit to pray although our flesh is weak. The disciples in the Garden of Gethsemane may fell asleep due to physical tiredness. In the spiritual realm, it could also be a sign of spiritual laziness, slumber, lethargy, and indifference.
Hence, to be watchful and prayerful, we need to be conscious and deliberate in remembering God in all we think, all we do, and all we say.
Being watchful meant constantly remaining in God’s presence and being alert to His Leading from the voice of the Holy Spirit.
And by listening to the Holy Spirit, we can pray effectively and unceasingly for all occasions. (Eph 6:18)
And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the Lord’s people. (Eph 6:18)
After listening to the sermon by Pr Vincent, watching and praying appears exhausting… But in my humble opinion, I realize when I abide in Christ and see things from His Perspective (also a form of watching), there’s always a sense of rest, deep peace, and joy saturating and flowing out from my soul.
Although praying sounds like a big spiritual exercise, praying to me simply means conversing with my Dad and my Lord Jesus Christ who loves me, understands me, and have my best interest in mind. And because of this, we need not fear of anything in this world or in our uncertain future!
Trust in Him. The paradox of being a believer in Christ is that the more you spend time watching and praying with God (like a little child following his or her Dad to work), the more alive and rested you become. That is why Jesus said, “I have come that they may have LIFE, and have it to the FULL.” (John 10:10)
What a joy to have a relationship with our Father in Heaven and our Lord Jesus. You don’t want to miss this amazing opportunity to watch with God and converse (pray) with Him!
For more information, please visit www.gladtidings.my
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NOTE: This article is written from the perspective and interpretation of the writer, to condense and accentuate the ideas of the pastor in a more understandable and readable way.
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