Watch and pray

Matthew 26:41

Watch and pray, that ye enter not into temptation: the spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak.

It is an exceeding great comfort to our souls that Christ endured such an hour of agony. This was an agony wherein collided two great worlds—the world of the flesh and the world of the spirit. And that is why Christ went through these things, to set an example for us, that we should follow His steps. In His great hour of temptation, He was exceeding sorrowful, even unto death. He asked that the disciples tarry, and watch with Him. He, the master of the universe and the Savior of the world, desired the prayers of His disciples. And the Lord Jesus here is exemplifying for us how we should deal with temptation.

There is a great battle that takes place within our hearts each day. It is a conflict, a war, a fight between the flesh and the spirit. The flesh desires comfort, ease, and gratification. It desires to have its way, to be held gently, and to have its wants and lusts satisfied. It simply wants to be obeyed! And cries, and whines, and whimpers when we heed not its clamor. But the spirit is just the opposite. It beckons us to heed its commands to crucify the flesh, to disregard the cries, and to yield to the Spirit of God. The Spirit indeed is willing! Indeed it is—every day and every night! Every moment of every day, and in all we do, say, and think, the spirit is willing to do the right thing, to obey God, and to listen to the Spirit’s wooing. Now with the great battle raging inside, what shall we do? We know that our spirit is willing to obey God, but the flesh is so weak, it has no strength to do right. It wants to be pampered and appeased. So how shall we deal with this great struggle? Jesus has so clearly and concisely answered the age-old conundrum. The answer is one of great simplicity. We are to watch and pray.

Watch and pray, that ye enter not into temptation. This is what Jesus did in His hour of deepest trial. He watched and He prayed. And He asked others to watch and pray with Him. They were sleeping, but He remained alert to the bombardments and assailments of the enemy. Dear friend, don’t go to sleep during temptation! The Devil will stalk and subtly seek to seduce you into obeying the flesh. Watch! Watch! Watch! The Devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour. We must watch, stand fast in the faith, quit ourselves like men, and be strong. Watch out! The Devil will seek to devour, destroy, and deceive! We must be careful in our hour of temptation. But what else must we do? Of equal importance is the need to pray. That’s what Jesus did, three times falling on His face, and beseeching the Lord with the same thing. And as He besought His Father, He submitted to His will, saying, “Thy will be done.” This must be our first and most important recourse of action. Go immediately to prayer! Do not linger! Otherwise, you will be taken in by the Devil’s temptation. You must pray at once! Watch and pray! Bring it to the Lord. And bring it to Him again, as Christ did, repeatedly. And get strength from His Spirit to obey the Lord rather than the flesh. The spirit indeed is willing! Prayer will bring us to a place of obedience. And constant prayer will keep us to a place of constant obedience. Is your flesh weak? It is for all of us. Therefore, watch and pray, my friend. Watch and pray every day and every hour.

“Dear Lord, we thank you for the example you have set, showing us your acquaintance with our struggles. Help us, Lord, in the moments and days of weakness, to do nothing but to watch and pray, that we may not enter into temptation. May you give us the strength this day to resist any temptation that may come by the help and strength of your Spirit, and never to listen to the cries of the flesh. And we shall praise you for this. In Jesus’ name, Amen.”