Easter 2011 – A People of Prayer
Then Jesus came with them to a place called Gethsemane, and said to His disciples, “Sit here while I go over there and pray.” And He took with Him Peter and the two sons of Zebedee, and began to be grieved and distressed. Then He said to them, “My soul is deeply grieved, to the point of death; remain here and keep watch with Me.”And He went a little beyond them, and fell on His face and prayed, saying, “My Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from Me; yet not as I will, but as You will.” And He came to the disciples and found them sleeping, and said to Peter, “So, you men could not keep watch with Me for one hour? Keep watching and praying that you may not enter into temptation; the spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak.”He went away again a second time and prayed, saying, “My Father, if this cannot pass away unless I drink it, Your will be done.” Again He came and found them sleeping, for their eyes were heavy. And He left them again, and went away and prayed a third time, saying the same thing once more.Then He came to the disciples and said to them, “Are you still sleeping and resting? Behold, the hour is at hand and the Son of Man is being betrayed into the hands of sinners. Get up, let us be going; behold, the one who betrays Me is at hand!” (Matthew 26:36-46 NASB)
Have you ever been so tired that you just couldn’t keep your eyes open, even when it was very important that you do? There are a number of traffic accidents that occur as drivers fall asleep at the wheel. I know someone who counts it lost about 10 kilometers of highway driving, considering it a divine intervention of safety when he fell asleep shortly before his exit only to wake up several “clicks” past it. Fatigue is a part of our life today, whether because of busyness, stress, or age. There are things to do, places to go, people to see, but we just want to nap first. From the time ben and Heather were young I invented a game called, “Guess who’s sleeping?” I got them to count as high as they could while I caught a quick cat nap before they sat on my head to wake me up. I still try it once in a while now, but the kids are so funny I get laughing and lose the game right away.
