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Day 44 Mark 14:32-52 Mark 14:32 And they came to a place which was named Gethsemane: and he said to his disciples, Sit ye here, while I shall pray. 33 And he took with him Peter and James and John, and began to be sore amazed, and to be very heavy; 34 And said unto them, My soul is exceeding sorrowful unto death: tarry ye here, and watch. 35 And he went forward a little, and fell on the ground, and prayed that, if it were possible, the hour might pass from him. 36 And he said, Abba, Father, all things are possible unto thee; take away this cup from me: nevertheless not what I will, but what thou wilt. 37 And he came, and found them sleeping, and said unto Peter, Simon, sleep thou? Could not thou watch one hour? 38 Watch ye and pray, lest ye enter into temptation. The spirit truly is ready, but the flesh is weak. 39 And again he went away, and prayed, and spoke the same words. 40 And when he returned, he found them asleep again, (for their eyes were heavy,) neither wist they what to answer him. 41 And he came the third time, and said unto them, Sleep on now, and take your rest: it is enough, the hour is come; behold, the Son of man is betrayed into the hands of sinners. 42 Rise up, let us go; lo, he that betrays me is at hand. 43 And immediately, while he yet spoke, came Judas, one of the twelve, and with him a great multitude with swords and staves, from the chief priests and the scribes and the elders. 44 And he that betrayed him had given them a token, saying, Whomsoever I shall kiss, that same is he; take him, and lead him away safely. 45 And as soon as he was come, he went straightway to him, and saith, Master, master; and kissed him. 46 And they laid their hands on him, and took him. 47 And one of them that stood by drew a sword, and smote a servant of the high priest, and cut off his ear. 48 And Jesus answered and said unto them, Are ye come out, as against a thief, with swords and with staves to take me? 49 I was daily with you in the temple teaching, and ye took me not: but the scriptures must be fulfilled. 50 And they all forsook him, and fled. 51 And there followed him a certain young man, having a linen cloth cast about his naked body; and the young men laid hold on him: 52 And he left the linen cloth, and fled from them naked. Many times, you determine to do something, and as soon as you begin, distractions abound, or you fall asleep. Jesus made one simple request of his disciples: watch and pray. Yet, as soon as they did, they fell asleep. As Christians, you know how often you determine to spend time in Bible study and prayer, and with the first word out of your mouth, your eyelids begin to droop, and before you know it, you’re waking up, and it’s an hour later. At a time when Jesus needed his disciples most, they deserted him physically, they fell asleep. He found them asleep each time he came back from an hour of prayer. Matthew 26:40 And he came unto the disciples, and found them asleep, and said unto Peter, What, could ye not watch with me one hour? One hour doesn’t seem like a lot. Yet, when you set about to do God’s work, that one hour becomes the hardest hour in your day. Why is that? Because Satan knows what you’re doing, and will do everything he can to stop you from doing God’s will, starting with sleep. If that doesn’t work, he will distract you in other ways, the phone will beep with a text message or ring. Someone will come to your door. Your thoughts will scatter anywhere but on what you intend to focus on. Prayer is the hardest thing we can do. How do you safeguard your thoughts and intentions so Satan will not hinder your prayer time? You can turn off your phone. Let people know you cannot be reached during your prayer time. Take care of everything that can distract before you begin your prayer time. Then when you sit down to pray and spend time with God, Satan will have a harder time finding a means to distract you and cause you to sleep. James 4:7 Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. (KJV) Satan must leave you alone, when you’ve done everything you can to resist him. Then you will be able to do what God asked you to do. Jesus was in the Garden of Gethsemane for three hours praying. As soon as his third hour of prayer ended, Judas came with the soldiers to betray him. Now, the disciples were alert and acted. One of the disciples, Peter, cut off the high priest servant’s ear. John 18:10 Then Simon Peter having a sword drew it, and smote the high priest’s servant, and cut off his right ear. The servant’s name was Malchus. 11 Then said Jesus unto Peter, Put up thy sword into the sheath: the cup which my Father hath given me, shall I not drink it? (KJV) Jesus knew what was to come, which is why he was in the garden praying. He knew the Father’s will, and was prepared to do it, but hoped in the last moment the Father would relent. However, he also knew our salvation depended on that hour. It wasn’t on the cross where we received salvation. It was in the Garden of Gethsemane when Jesus submitted to the Father’s will, and received strength from an angel to see him through the Father’s purpose for him. It was that strength that allowed him to be whipped, his beard pulled out, a crown of thorns pushed into his head till the blood flowed. It was in the garden he gained the power to do everything he needed to do, so you and I could accept his sacrifice for salvation. It was also in the garden where Judas betrayed him, but even he didn’t know the full extent of what the chief priest intended for Jesus. He told those who came with him to lead him away safely. It wasn’t safety the chief priests, scribes, and elders had in mind for Jesus when they led him away from the garden. However, even at that time, Jesus questioned their purpose, and told them scripture was about to be fulfilled. When Jesus led his disciples to the Garden of Gethsemane, he knew what was to happen, and tried to prepare them for the hours to come. Yet, sleep overcame them, and they missed the most important hour in history when they all fled from the soldiers who came to arrest him. What have you missed because Satan came against you when you determined to set aside the hour for God? Pray, lest you fall into temptation. The spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak. Let’s pray: Father, help me do your will with an alert mind and heart, committed to you and your purpose. Keep Satan from your purpose for me, and all the distractions he brings. In Jesus’ name, I pray, amen. Copyright © 19 August 2018 by Valerie Routhieaux Image courtesy of Pixabay