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Day 73 Matthew 26:36-46 Matthew 26:36 Then came Jesus with them unto a place called Gethsemane, and said unto the disciples, Sit ye here, while I go and pray yonder. 37 And he took with him Peter and the two sons of Zebedee, and began to be sorrowful and very heavy. 38 Then said he unto them, My soul is exceeding sorrowful, even unto death: tarry ye here, and watch with me. 39 And he went a little further, and fell on his face, and prayed, saying, O my Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me: nevertheless not as I will, but as thou wilt. 40 And he came unto the disciples, and found them asleep, and said unto Peter, What, could ye not watch with me one hour? 41 Watch and pray, that ye enter not into temptation: the spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak. 42 He went away again the second time, and prayed, saying, O my Father, if this cup may not pass away from me, except I drink it, thy will be done. 43 And he came and found them asleep again: for their eyes were heavy. 44 And he left them, and went away again, and prayed the third time, saying the same words. 45 Then came he to his disciples, and said unto them, Sleep on now, and take your rest: behold, the hour is at hand, and the Son of man is betrayed into the hands of sinners. 46 Rise, let us be going: behold, he is at hand that doth betray me. Have you been asked to do something, and you were willing to do it, but found it hard to accomplish? Jesus took Peter, James, and John with him into the heart of the Garden of Gethsemane where he would pray for what was to come. He asked them to watch and pray with him. However, when it came to fulfilling what they were asked, they fell asleep. As Christians, you know the hardest thing as well as the easiest, is spending time in prayer. Hard because Satan will come and cause unlimited distractions, including the overwhelming desire to sleep. How many times have you started with good intentions to spend time in prayer, and the first thing that happens is your phone rings, or the doorbell. You also remember the unlimited number of things you need to do, and all of them seem urgent the moment you bow your head to pray. If that doesn’t work, Satan will bring sleep your way. Peter, James, and John had good intentions to watch and pray with Jesus while he went off to be in communion with his Father. He was about to do the most important task of his life, the reason he was born, and he too felt the overwhelming burden taking on the sin of the world would be. It was such a burden, that at one point he sweat drops of blood. Luke 22:42 Saying, Father, if thou be willing, remove this cup from me: nevertheless not my will, but thine, be done. 43 And there appeared an angel unto him from heaven, strengthening him. 44 And being in an agony he prayed more earnestly: and his sweat was as it were great drops of blood falling down to the ground. 45 And when he rose up from prayer, and was come to his disciples, he found them sleeping for sorrow, 46 And said unto them, Why sleep ye? rise and pray, lest ye enter into temptation. (KJV) Jesus told his disciples to pray with him and be watchful, lest they fall into temptation. When you want to pray, when the Holy Spirit puts someone on your mind to pray for, and you determine to set aside the time right then to pray, Satan comes at you with temptations. Those temptations might seem harmless at any other time, but when you set about to pray, determining to come before God with urgent prayer requests, Satan will bring your list of things to do before you and you will be tempted to get that list accomplished before you pray. The moment you set about to accomplish the to do list, you forget the urgency to pray, and Satan has accomplished his goal, you didn’t pray. All thought of prayer is forgotten. Jesus’ disciples didn’t pray. They fell asleep, not accomplishing what Jesus asked them to do. Prayer is the most important action you can take for those you know, and even for those you don’t personally know, such as missionaries, and disaster situations where numbers of people have either lost their lives or become homeless. God hears every prayer you pray, and Satan knows he does. Satan also knows God will act on your prayers, and he will do everything he can to cause you not to pray. Watch and pray, lest ye fall into temptation. The spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak. Let’s pray: Father, my spirit is willing to spend time with you in prayer, however, I know my flesh is weak. Give me strength to overcome this weakness, and tell Satan to leave me alone, so I can take those urgent matters to you. In Jesus’ name, I pray, amen. Copyright © 1 July 2018 by Valerie Routhieaux Image courtesy of Pixabay