Keeping Watch with Christ

Then he returned to his disciples and found them sleeping. “Couldn’t you men keep watch with me for one hour?” he asked Peter. “Watch and pray so that you will not fall into temptation. The spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak.”

Matthew 26:40–41

The words of the Savior, “watch with me,” depict more than the moment in Gethsemane and describe something of the nature of prayer. Prayer is watching with Christ, seeing Him moved by the needs of the world, the very real but largely unseen needs of human souls, seeing His heart longing for sin to be forsaken, for people to respond in repentance and faith that would lead to salvation, for lives to be put back together, for healing of wounds of the soul, for life to fill the lives of men, and for the Spirit to well up within us like a spring of living water.

Christ engaged them to watch with him … yet they slept; surely it was the unkindest thing that could be. When David wept at this mount of Olives, all his followers wept with him (2 Sam. xv. 30); but when the Son of David was here in tears, his followers were asleep. His enemies, who watched for him, were wakeful enough (Mark xiv. 43); but his disciples, who should have watched with him, were asleep. Lord, what is man! What are the best of men, when God leaves them to themselves! Note, Carelessness and carnal security, especially when Christ is in his agony, are great faults in any, but especially in those who profess to be nearest in relation to him. The church of Christ, which is his body, is often in an agony, fightings without and fears within…[1]

The lament from the commentator “What are the best of men, when God leaves them to themselves!” is entirely appropriate. The finest among us, the best of who we are as a fallen race, stumble in the flesh when it comes to prayer. Our spirit may be willing; there is part of us awakened by our redemption, brought from death to life, and it is entirely willing to be used of God, to watch with Him, to accept and to share the burdens of His heart, but our human flesh, our fallen and depraved nature, tends toward selfishness and an apathy toward spiritual things. At the first hint of an excuse we bolt and run off, or we are distracted by the slightest noise, even the smallest problem of earth, or we entertain instead prideful thoughts of our supposed superiority over the brother we are to be praying for. “I thank you, God, I am not like other men,” is unfortunately more likely to come from our hearts than, “Be merciful to me, the sinner.”

I am convinced that we cannot enter into a spirit of prayer apart from the filling of the Spirit. Only then are we truly able to watch with Christ, but He invites us to draw near to Him, to be filled with His Spirit, to know His heart, to take His yoke upon us, to learn of Him, of His gentleness, His lowliness, and His love. Prayer has its effect upon our souls, and not just upon those for whom we pray — though it certainly has that as well.

Are we searching out the mind of Christ? Are we standing with Him in our prayer? Are we watching with Him?

Prayer:

Lord, prayer means little if our passions are not consumed by Your passions, if our wills are not mastered by Your will. Teach us to learn what moves Your heart and to let that fact, that perspective, that thought, move our hearts as well. Amen.

[1] Matthew Henry, Commentary on Whole Bible, online edition, http://www.ccel.org/ccel/henry/mhc5.Matt.xxvii.html#Matt.xxvii-p23.3