“Watch therefore: for ye know not what hour your Lord doth come”. (Matthew 24:42)
All the believers accept this fact that Jesus Christ is going to come soon. But we do not know the hour of His coming. So only He tells us to be watchful. We can take a student who prepares for his exams with all hard work for an example for this watchfulness. If the student delays the preparation to study at the time of exams, the exam result won’t be good. But the student who studies properly daily will surely score good marks in the exams. So we should utilise the time we have got and it is necessary to be watchful and pray. If we want to go on a leisure trip during the vacation, how much anxiously we get ready for that day? How much we make prior preparations? If we are making this much preparation just to go to another place, then how much should we be prepared to go to that eternal dwelling where our Lord Jesus Christ lives! Once, a man of God saw a certain vision. It was announced in every believer’s house that Jesus Christ is coming, so be prepared. In some houses, even after hearing this voice, they ignored the voice and continued their own duties. In some houses, as soon as they hear the news, they started preparing as if they are going to another place. Let us examine ourselves, how we are.
Let us be watchful and pray:
Jesus Christ beautifully taught the importance of being watchful and praying. Before facing the death on the cross, Jesus Christ asked the disciples to be watchful and pray. Many of the disciples were not watchful. John has written elaborately in John 17 about the prayer Jesus Christ did for his disciples. As John was awake and watchful, he was able to hear that wonderful prayer. Jesus pleaded the disciples, if they cannot be watchful with him at least for an hour. John was watchful along with Jesus Christ. He became one minded in prayer with Jesus. He got God’s strength and power. So only he was with death of Jesus on the cross.
We see about Peter. He was a very active person. Jesus Christ told about him also. Jesus told Peter also to be watchful. Then he came and found them sleeping. Simon, he said to Peter, are you asleep? Couldn’t you keep watch for one hour? Mark 14:37
Peter did not take that seriously. He kept on sleeping. What happened then? And he disowned Jesus before the rooster crowed three times. If Peter would have been convicted by the warning of Jesus and would have been watchful and prayed, God could have saved him from such situation. But as he was not watchful, he fell into such trial.
So only Jesus Christ advises in the Lord’s Prayer to pray not to lead us into temptation. Let us be watchful and pray during the night. Especially we should be watchful and pray in the early morning. Let us receive God’s grace every day. Prayer is, humbling ourselves to receive God’s grace. So only when we humble ourselves and ask for God’s grace we receive that. There are many things in this. We need grace to live a Holy life, we need grace to do God’s ministry, we need grace to do the will of the Father, and we need grace to be protected daily. Let us humble ourselves in prayer and receive God’s grace.
The Spirit is willing:
“Watch and pray so that you will not fall into temptation. The spirit is willing, but the flesh
is weak”. (Mark 14:38)
Our spirit is like a lamp God has given. Apostle Paul says about that as the inner man. God has given the Holy Spirit in our spirit only. In the letter to the Galatians we read about fight. The spirit lusts against the flesh and the flesh lusts against the spirit. If we are not watchful and pray and receive the power of the Holy Spirit, the flesh gets strengthened and our inner man gets weakened. Then we do not walk according to the will of God and we start doing according to our flesh and our heart’s desires. How can we escape this?
“There is therefore no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after
the flesh, but after the Spirit”. (Romans 8:1)
So we should be strengthened in our inner man. How can we be strengthened? We can be strengthened by the Holy Spirit only. The Word of God gives us life and strength. When you are strengthened in your inner man, such temptations won’t overcome you. So only, Apostle Paul says to get strengthened with the might of the Holy Spirit in our inner man.
“… to be strengthened with the might by His Spirit in the inner man”. (Ephesians 3:16)
Yes! When you are strengthened by the Holy Spirit, you will win. For that, it is necessary for us to be watchful and pray. Let us be watchful and pray. And let us receive the power of God. Jesus Christ says about this only when He talks about the oil in the parable of the ten virgins. So let us be watchful, pray and get prepared.
