Asleep in Gethsemane

I was reading through Matthew as part of the ESV Study Bible reading plan when I came across the familiar Gethsemane part in Matthew 26. Jesus brings Peter, James, and John with Him and asks them to keep watch with Him. He goes and prays and comes back to find them asleep. He then makes the following statement,

"Watch and pray that you may not enter into temptation. The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak."

Sure enough, they slept again. The results? Our Savior, strengthened by the Father, endures the cross. The chief disciples, weakened by the flesh, abandon and renounce their Lord.

This struck me as it never has previously. In reflecting on the above verse, I've found that I really long to glorify God in what I do, but I often seem to come up short or do not glorify Him as I think I ought to. My spirit is so utterly willing to do so, but my flesh is utterly weak. My discipline is weak. My flesh battles to lead me to laziness and self-regard. How desperately I must be on the lookout for these temptations...and how desperately I must pray! I must abide in the Lord through prayer to bear the fruit of my God-glorifying desires.

I share this with you guys as many will be taking part in planting a church in Philly. Though our desire to do much God-glorifying good in loving and serving Jesus and Philadelphians through biblical depth and outreach, our flesh is so terribly weak. We must throw ourselves before the throne of God in fervent and abundant prayer if we want to bear fruit. Having a willing spirit is not enough; we must depend on God in prayer, just as the God-Man did on the eve of His cross.

Please friends, do not be like me in neglecting prayer for so long! Please do not believe in God's sovereignty to the detriment of communing with our Lord in prayer! Thanks be to God: my heart finally believes what my mind always knew - the value of prayer.