Wow, It's been a long time since I've written on this blog, actually, since I've written at all. It makes me wonder what it feels like to God, when I find myself too busy to communicate with Him.
With that thought in mind, I am reminded about the scriptures of Matthew 26 verses 36-48.
"Then cometh Jesus with them unto a place called Gethsemane, and saith unto the disciples, Sit ye here, while I go and pray yonder.
And he took with him Peter and the two sons of Zebedee, and began to be sorrowful and very heavy.
Then saith he unto them, My soul is exceeding sorrowful, even unto death: tarry ye here, and watch with me.
And he went a little farther, 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.
And he cometh unto the disciples, and findeth them asleep, and saith unto Peter, What, could ye not watch with me one hour?"
How many times have I had the good intention of praying, and reading the Word of God, and fall asleep? Not that the Word of God is boring, but I find myself exhausted as a result of the busy life I lead. So busy doing things on my list that must get done! What's wrong with me? Communicating with my Father is such a blessing, why do I so often make it the last thing on my list?
“Watch and pray so that you will not fall into temptation. The spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak.”
He went away a second time and prayed, “My Father, if it is not possible for this cup to be taken away unless I drink it, may your will be done.”
When he came back, he again found them sleeping, because their eyes were heavy. 44 So he left them and went away once more and prayed the third time, saying the same thing.
Then he returned to the disciples and said to them, “Are you still sleeping and resting? Look, the hour has come, and the Son of Man is delivered into the hands of sinners. 46 Rise! Let us go! Here comes my betrayer!”
As I'm writing I can vision Jesus coming to His disciples in great despair and finding them asleep. Hurting, He makes His request again, and walks away. A third time He asks, prays, and afterward, the hour comes. His heart is crushed. His friends, His best friends, could not stay awake and pray with Him for one hour! They were with Him in body, but not in spirit.
I believe Peter, James, and John were worn out from all that was going on around them. They too were exhausted! They were probably wishing for a pocketful of toothpicks about that time. They had spent many hours, days, and months with Jesus, listening to Him preach, heal, and tell of His fate. They must have been overwhelmed. In my mind, I believe they desired to watch with Him, but in my humanness, I understand why they slept.
I wonder how often we, even with all that God is doing around us, sleep. To the unbeliever, Christ's death is a tragedy, but to the one who believes in His name, an amazing Blessing! I pray that all of us, who are called by His name, discipline ourselves to slow down, stay awake, watch, and tarry, until the great day of His mighty return.
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