“GO ON SLEEPING…”

Dear Believer,

I wish to remind you of Jesus at the Garden of Gethsemane. He sensed a dark cloud hanging over Him. It was a time He ominously referred to as the ‘hour…of the power of darkness ‘ (Luke 22:53). He asked His disciples to watch while He went further in to pray.

After a while, He came to check them and found them fast asleep. He looked at Peter and said to him, “Simon, can’t you watch with me for just one hour?”

Then He told them, “Watch and pray so that you don’t enter into temptation.” (Matthew 26:41).

Jesus knew what was about to happen. All hell was about to break lose against Him. His disciples were about to become collateral damage. But these guys didn’t know what they were into or up against. They were like the man who was sleeping and snoring under a burning roof, literally. Jesus left them and continued to pray. 

This is not the time to be preoccupied or confused with the news and happenings in the word. This is not the time to be chasing the worthless lusts of this world. This is time to watch and pray always because the highways of the world are strewn with countless snares of the Fowler. This is not a drill, neither is it a game.

(Aren’t many believers like these disciples? They are standing at the threshold of catastrophe yet are not moved even though the Spirit of God keeps prompting them to pray).

Later, Jesus came back and still met them sleeping. Then He spoke words that I want you to really take note of.

And he cometh the third time, and saith unto them, Sleep on now, and take your rest: it is enough, the hour is come; behold, the Son of man is betrayed into the hands of sinners. (Mark 14:41).

I found that the statement, “Sleep on now and take your rest” was uttered sarcastically. Jesus was essentially telling them, “You love sleep so much,  don’t you. Now continue sleeping if you can!” Actually there was no more rest for these ‘sleepyheads” because the very next moment, Judas the Betrayer led a crowd of soldiers in to arrest Jesus. The sleep that Peter and his colleagues thought they couldn’t do without vanished from their eyes and a long, long night of anguish began for them.

Dear Believer, are you not sleeping at Gethsemane? Are you not brushing off the nudging of the Holy Spirit as He keeps telling you to watch and pray for one reason or the other?

Look at the travail the world has been thrown into in the recent times. It is just a Gethsemane experience; greater evil is coming upon the world according to Bible prophecy.

Jesus said to His own:

Be on the watch at all times, and pray always so that you may have strength to escape all that is destined to happen, and to stand in the presence of the Son of Man. Luke 21:36.

This is not the time to be preoccupied or confused with the news and happenings in the word. This is not the time to be chasing the worthless lusts of this world. This is time to watch and pray always because the highways of the world are strewn with countless snares of the Fowler. This is not a drill, neither is it a game.

This may sound harsh, but the truth is, a time is coming when the lazy believer will want to pray, and it will be too late. The word will come to him, “Keep sleeping now; your prayer won’t make any difference anyway.” “Keep watching your movies now, for now watching in the Spirit won’t make any difference anyway.” But he won’t be able to sleep or watch his movies anyway… Didn’t Jesus tell Peter and his two colleagues to go on sleeping since praying and watching wouldn’t make any difference at that point? Could they then sleep?

Dear Believer, you and I have the time now to stand up and prepare for the future by praying and watching. Let us make use of it.

Have a great day!

I am your friend,
Deon.
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For further studies, read Luke 21:31-62.