Wednesday, April 2

Prepare Through Prayer / Absence of Prayer Is Dangerous

Wednesday, April 2

Luke 22:54-62

In yesterday’s devotion on Acts 4, we saw a post-Pentecost Peter: courageous, boosted by the prayers of the early Church, filled with the Holy Spirit on the Day of Pentecost, and importantly – a witness of the resurrection of Jesus, and in the audience when Jesus restored the denying disciple.

But in the passion prayer of Jesus, we find a sleeping Peter. When Jesus sharply chastised Peter and the rest of the disciples, He said, “Simon, are you asleep? Could you not keep watch for one hour? Keep watching and praying that you may not come into temptation; the spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak.” (Mark 14:37b-38)

The wine and food were abundant in the Passover meal. The hour was late. Peter had decent excuses for joining his fellow disciples in the Garden of Gethsemane for a little snooze. But he had just promised his Lord that he would die before he would betray Him. That bold assertion should have been prepared for through prayer – if so, it may have been more humble, realistic, and qualified.

Had Peter not slept in the Garden but prayed instead, he might have been better prepared. Prayer can be the cultivation of the soil before planting or the request for strength in the midst of a storm. Peter slept in the Garden and warmed himself in the courtyard after Jesus’ arrest. There is no hint that Peter was praying there. “Watching?” Maybe, but not the watching Jesus meant. Jesus meant you are a watchman, looking for the lurking enemy seeking to attack and devour. (Ezek. 33 & I Peter 5:7) The soil had not been prepared in the Garden, and when the storm came, “This man was with Him, too,” (Lk. 22:56) Peter’s concern was comfort, not the wrestling passionate prayer to save him from caving to temptation, fear, and denial.

It is much harder to sin when my prayer or meditation is interrupted by a temptation. Watching also involves listening. My hearing is pretty poor, but my cat can hear activity I am oblivious to until 5-10 seconds later when I see what he heard.  Listening in prayer is done with the Word in our hands between petitions and with an alertness to listen to what God is telling us. We do have to muster the flesh sometimes, to come to the aid of our spirit. Weak flesh is flesh that has not prioritized prayer in our schedule. Fatigue is its companion.

What saved Peter in his time of not praying? Prayer! The prayer of Jesus. (Luke 22:32) Jesus saves! So do His prayers. Let us pray when preparing for trials or triumph. And let us pray for others who are weak.