And he cometh unto the disciples, and findeth them asleep, and saith unto Peter, What, could ye not watch with me one hour? Watch and pray, that ye enter not into temptation: the spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak. Matthew 26:40-41

Prayer changes situations and circumstances. Prayer moves mountains and binds up the wounds of the broken-hearted. Prayer helps us sleep at night. Prayer opens doors no man can shut. 

Prayer helps us to heal and forgive. I know we sing the song prayer changes things but I can pray all day for a church pew to change to a chair but that pew will still be a pew. Prayer changes us!

So if you are feeling stuck in whatever situation you’re in. Ask yourself have I been giving this situation to God through prayer? Prayer have the power to not only change our situations but it can change us. Prayer shapes our faith walk and molds our relationship with God! Prayer gives us Spiritual strength. Prayer changes us!

But for change to happen we must first admit something is wrong. So how are you doing today? Is everything alright?  Are you okay? Today is a good day no matter what! If you want to know why? It’s because we are alive! God saw fit to give us another chance. So if you’ve been messing up all week today is your day to get it right with God!                 

In the morning time, I have a routine while getting ready for work. In the morning while getting ready for work sometimes I listen to Christian podcasts and on those Podcasts, there are different discussions about living the Christian life. 

One morning as I was getting ready for work the ladies were talking about Luke Chapter 11 when one of Jesus’ disciples asked Him “Lord teach us to pray, just as John taught his disciples.” As the ladies discussed Jesus’s teaching on prayer one of the ladies asked, “Well who taught you all how to pray?” 

One lady said well my mother, my mother was the one who taught me to pray, another said my grandmother was the one who taught me to pray, then another lady said church, church is where I learned to pray. 

As the ladies were talking, the thought came to mind, who taught me to pray? I thought about my mom and the foundation she laid by taking my siblings and me to church early in life and how I would listen to the Pastor and the Deacons pray. 

I thought about my sweet grandmother who had the sweetest soprano voice how she would sing in the choir with her sisters but none of those memories helped me to pinpoint who taught me to pray. 

Then in my bathroom on that particular morning, I started to cry. I started thanking God because it was at that moment I realized, trials, grief, depression, sadness, and the list goes on. It was life situations that I knew I could not handle on my own that taught me to pray! Those situations pointed me to Jesus! The one who not only hears and answers prayer but He is interceding for us! Romans 8:34 says Jesus, “is at the right hand of God and is also interceding for us.”

Life’s hard blows shaped my prayer life! And if it had not been for Jesus teaching me through prayer I could trust him I would not be here today. When I was tired and felt like I wanted to give up it was Jesus who encouraged me through His word reminding me that He has my back even when it’s against the wall. Aren’t you glad that if everybody else turns against you, if you have Jesus you have all that you need.

You see prayer is not eloquent words or posture, and it is not confined to one place. Prayer is simply you and me realizing we need to talk to our Father and we can do it anywhere at any time and He is never too busy for us.

I thought about how if God had not taught me to pray through unforgiveness, bitterness, and anger I would be lost. 

I don’t know about anyone else but I have had to pray through some very difficult life-altering times. So I thank God for His Grace and Mercy that has not only kept me but has kept each of you as well.  

So as I look back over my life I thank God that Jesus Christ is still teaching His children to pray through the trials, the sorrow, the grief, the unforgiveness, the bitterness, and the pain and tears. Jesus is still teaching His sons and daughters to pray!

As we look back at the trials and circumstances Satan used to try to break us I believe all of us can say Jesus was there all along, holding us up when we had every reason to walk around with our heads hung low. Lord, I thank you because, throughout our most difficult times, you were teaching us the power of prayer. And when we do not know what to pray Paul says in Romans 8:26-27 26 Likewise the Spirit also helpeth our infirmities: for we know not what we should pray for as we ought: but the Spirit itself maketh intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered.

27 And he that searcheth the hearts knoweth what is the mind of the Spirit, because he maketh intercession for the saints according to the will of God.

Let’s look at the Gospel according to Matthew chapter 26:40-41

40 And he cometh unto the disciples, and findeth them asleep, and saith unto Peter, What, could ye not watch with me one hour?

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

The Hymn Sweet Hour of Prayer written by William Walford is inspiring and encouraging. It is a great song to meditate on in your quiet time with God.

“Sweet Hour prayer! Sweet Hour of prayer that calls me from a world of care, And bids me at my Father’s throne
Make all my wants and wishes known.
In seasons of distress and grief,
My soul has often found relief,
And oft escaped the tempter’s snare,
By thy return, sweet hour of prayer!”

These lyrics remind me of Gethsemane when my Savior Jesus Christ was filled with sorrow and trouble because what He was about to face had His soul overwhelmed with sorrow to the point of death. 

In the Gospel of Matthew chapter 26 after Jesus expressed His feelings of being overwhelmed with sorrow to the point of death He told His disciples to stay here and keep watch with me.

We read shortly after this Jesus fell with His face to the ground and prayed, My Father, if it is possible may this cup be taken from me. Yet not as I will, but as you will. Then He returned to the disciples and found them sleeping. Could you men not keep watch with me for one hour? He asked Peter.

Then Jesus goes on to say watch and pray so that you will not fall into temptation. The Spirit is willing but the body is weak.

Jesus paid a price we could not pay for a debt He did not owe. Yet we like the disciples can not keep watch for one hour. When we say we are praying for our brothers and sisters are we praying?

Sweet Hour of Prayer is a beautiful Hymn that we love to sing but do we give God an hour in prayer? To be honest many times we can’t give God ten minutes of our time in prayer. Prayer gives us the strength to accept the Father’s will even when it brings great pain and suffering. Communing with the Father in prayer gives us peace and helps us to focus.

My brother’s and sister’s it okay to feel sad. Sometimes the burdens get heavy and sometimes we are too weak to carry the weight of our burdens alone, but it’s okay to ask God for help. It’s okay to say God I can’t walk this road alone.

I was reading in the Desire of Ages chapter 74 “As they approached the garden, the disciples had marked the change that came over their Master. Never before had they seen Him so utterly [686] sad and silent. As He proceeded, this strange sadness deepened; yet they dared not question Him as to the cause. His form swayed as if He were about to fall. Upon reaching the garden, the disciples looked anxiously for His usual place of retirement, that their Master might rest. Every step that He now took was with labored effort. He groaned aloud as if suffering under the pressure of a terrible burden. Twice His companions supported Him, or He would have fallen to the earth.”

Near the entrance to the garden, Jesus left all but three of the disciples, bidding them to pray for themselves and Him. With Peter, James, and John, He entered its secluded recesses. These three disciples were Christ’s closest companions. They had beheld His glory on the mount of transfiguration; they had seen Moses and Elijah talking with Him; they had heard the voice from heaven; now in His great struggle, Christ desired their presence near Him. Often they had passed the night with Him in this retreat. On these occasions, after a season of watching and prayer, they would sleep undisturbed at a little distance from their Master, until He awoke them in the morning to go forth anew to labor. But now He desired them to spend the night with Him in prayer. Yet He could not bear that even they should witness the agony He was to endure.”

Although the pain, the sorrow, and the agony were overwhelming God had the redemption of His people on His mind because He has loved us with everlasting love. 

I can’t help but think about Pastors and the Elders of the church when I think about how Jesus was an intercessor for others but when He needed an intercessor for Himself the Disciples fell asleep. Do we spend time in prayer for our Pastor and Elders? You do know they have trials to? They have families and struggles just like us. Is the only time they cross our minds is when we need them to pray for us?  

Have you ever spent the night in prayer? I’m getting personal now. This is just to provoke a thought. This question isn’t to judge anyone. We need to be honest with ourselves and be honest with God. There will come a time when all we know to do is call on the Lord. If you can’t spend the night in prayer at least try to spend the day in prayer. Walking and talking with the one who is able to do exceedingly and abundantly above all we can ask or imagine according to his power that work within us.

So in your quiet time with God, you may have been praying to God, pleading with Him to let this cup pass from me but God says if you never go through trials you’ll never see the manifestation of my Power. You will never know how your prayers can move mountains and tear down strongholds! 

What if Jesus had said you know what God, this isn’t it. The people are not worth it. I’m done! But as heavy as the burden and grief and sorrow was Jesus thought you and I were to die for. Sometimes we place our worth on the type of job we have or the type of car we drive or the kind of house we live in. None of those things place value on your worth. The only person who can place value on your life is the one who died for you and me to be here. When you have nothing you are still worthy in the eyes of Jesus!

Trials shape our prayer life and disappointments build our faith. You don’t have a testimony if you are never tested. Your witness is connected to how you handle difficult situations. Spending time in prayer is never time wasted.

Family, we don’t want to be slumbering in our walk with God by being negligent in our prayer life or working so hard to meet the needs of everyone else but too drowsy to spend time with God in His word. 

We have to make God a priority in our lives. You know we can’t say too much about the disciples sleeping when they should have been watching and praying because all we have to do is look back in Matthew 25 at the parable of the Ten Virgins and the Bible says they all became drowsy and fell asleep. Let’s look at that for a few minutes. 

Matthew 25:1-13

25 “Then the kingdom of heaven shall be likened to ten virgins who took their lamps and went out to meet the bridegroom. 2 Now five of them were wise, and five were foolish. 3 Those who were foolish took their lamps and took no oil with them, 4 but the wise took oil in their vessels with their lamps. 5 But while the bridegroom was delayed, they all slumbered and slept.

6 “And at midnight a cry was heard: ‘Behold, the bridegroom [a]is coming; go out to meet him!’ 7 Then all those virgins arose and trimmed their lamps. 8 And the foolish said to the wise, ‘Give us some of your oil, for our lamps are going out.’ 9 But the wise answered, saying, ‘No, lest there should not be enough for us and you; but go rather to those who sell, and buy for yourselves.’ 10 And while they went to buy, the bridegroom came, and those who were ready went in with him to the wedding, and the door was shut.

11 “Afterward the other virgins came also, saying, ‘Lord, Lord, open to us!’ 12 But he answered and said, ‘Assuredly, I say to you, I do not know you.’

13 “Watch, therefore, for you know neither the day nor the hour [b]in which the Son of Man is coming.

I know we have a lot of responsibility, as a wife, a mother, daughter, a husband, a son or whatever your role may be in this world but God is still going to hold us accountable for what we do with our time. We owe everything to God! We have to watch(which means pay attention to how Satan is trying to pull us away from God), (Pay attention to how Satan is trying to destroy our homes, how he is trying to devour our marriages and our children.

We have to sit up straight and pay attention because Satan will come into our life through friends and family members and seek to destroy us. He is the master of deception. Satan uses people to carry out his dirty work. You may ask how is this so. Every time you criticize and mock your sister and brother that’s Satan at work through you.

When you always find fault in others and can’t get along that is Satan at work in you. When you find yourself lusting and giving inappropriate compliments and spewing out inappropriate jokes oh my sisters and brothers Satan does not discriminate. He will use you to carry out his evil deeds and turn around and devour you. He’s a snake like that!                                                                      

We should not be so distracted by social media, work, clothes, hair, and make-up that we are too tired to pray. Scrolling on Facebook and Instagram does not solve problems. If anything it causes more problems because you can develop strongholds and obsessive behaviors looking at other people’s false perception of perfection. 

Facebook may ask you what’s on your mind but they don’t care what’s going on with you! Tell Jesus what’s on your mind. He Cares! Not only does He care but He can change whatever situation you are going through! So if you have to scroll on Social Media find devotionals and inspirational post, find things will help you on your faith walk.

Our families need us to watch and pray, our children need us to watch and pray. Our community needs us to watch and pray! Don’t fall asleep Saints! The whole world is watching how we respond to all the troubles of this world. Our actions affect our witness whether good or bad. 

When we conform to the world’s standards we have slumbered. If the world is applauding us and praising us then we have slumbered in our walk with Jesus. 

James 4:4 says, whosoever therefore will be a friend of the world is the enemy of God. 

God, please don’t allow us to conform to this world. Renew our minds Father! Let today be the beginning of a revival of faith and power within us. Revive Us Lord Fill US With Your Holy Spirit!

Family do not neglect to earnestly pray to Jesus that he will impart to you strength to resist the temptations of Satan in whatever forms they may come. We have to persevere on our journeys with God and we will be over comers. 

Yes, you will get tired, I’m not going to pretend like I don’t get tired sometimes. In those times we must remember to still away, and go to that quiet place where we can commune with Jesus. Go into your prayer closet and seek the Lord for strength. Yes, you will have struggles but let’s be real with God about our struggles you don’t have to be ashamed. If you’re a liar or a gossip God already knows He just needs you to confess it so He can help you. Denial will rob you of the joy God wants to so desperately give you. Sometimes your prayer should simply be God I need your help!

If you are struggling with who God has created you to be and your desires are outside of the will of God. Confess that stronghold to God. You don’t have to live a defeated life. If we seek God in prayer He will give us strength just like He gave Jesus strength to fulfill His will. 

Watch and pray family we have slumbered long enough!

Prayer

Lord Jesus we thank you for your word. God we are so thankful that you have given us another chance to make things right with you. Please forgive us Lord for all the times we have slumbered. Thank you Lord for your unfailing love. Help us Lord to draw closer to you in Prayer and Bible Study. Lord we need your help! We cannot make it with out you. May your will be done in our lives in Jesus’ name, Amen.