Text:
Matthew 26:36-46
Memory Verse:
“Then He came to the disciples and found them sleeping, and said to Peter, ‘What! Could you not watch with Me one hour?’”(Matthew 26:40).
Sleep is God-given to men for rest, freshness and strength. God approves that man sleeps. Hence, the Bible says, “God gives His elect sleep” S(Psalm 127:2). But sleeping at the wrong time and in the wrong place is very dangerous with great consequences. Jesus took three disciples to Gethsemane to watch and pray with Him. Unfortunately, instead of praying, they were sleeping, to the disappointment of our Lord Jesus. Where is Gethsemane? Gethsemane is a place of travailing in prayer, moving God’s hand, knowing God’s will, receiving a settlement, and victory. Therefore, sleeping in Gethsemane, the place of prayer, is disastrous. The Bible says that Jesus prayed the same prayer repeatedly to avert impending ‘danger and disaster’, but He allowed the will of God to prevail. He, however, rebuked the disciples for sleeping in Gethsemane. He warned them to watch and pray, so they would not succumb to temptation and danger.
These days, many believers do not even recognise that they are asleep or are drifting into sleep. When we stop reading the Bible and stop praying, we begin to sleep spiritually and the devil gets access to our lives. To be careless or lazy in the place of prayer is to open one’s flanks for the enemy to penetrate (Matthew 13:25). You cannot afford to allow yourself to be vulnerable to the
attacks of the enemy. Are you vibrant and watchful in prayers or are you lackadaisical? Remember, Jesus admonished that we should watch and pray, so that we do not enter into temptation (Matthew 26:41).
Prayer Points:
1. Lord, revive my prayer life.
2. Lord, may the church wake up and take advantage of the weapon of prayer.
