Alert and Alive

‘Garden of Gethsame’… Words can not describe this time or this place in the life of Jesus.  Personally, I do not even like to imagine what Jesus humanly suffered in this garden.  There is a reason God doesn’t reveal the future to us…we could not handle it as Jesus did.  But Jesus’ time in the garden we will study another day.  Here let’s focus on the disciples…because I can totally relate to how they chose to spend this time with Jesus.

They slept!  There was no sense of urgency in their actions, no reason to be on guard or alert, no deep-seated, hysterical anxiety…obviously they didn’t get the intensity or seriousness of what Jesus meant when He said He would be crucified.

⁴⁰ Then he returned to the disciples and found them asleep. He said to Peter, “Couldn’t you watch with me even one hour? ⁴¹ Keep watch and pray, so that you will not give in to temptation. For the spirit is willing, but the body is weak!”

⁴² Then Jesus left them a second time and prayed, “My Father! If this cup cannot be taken away^[g] unless I drink it, your will be done.” ⁴³ When he returned to them again, he found them sleeping, for they couldn’t keep their eyes open.

⁴⁴ So he went to pray a third time, saying the same things again. ⁴⁵ Then he came to the disciples and said, “Go ahead and sleep. Have your rest. But look—the time has come. The Son of Man is betrayed into the hands of sinners.

Yes, there are so many times in my walk with Jesus, that I am asleep, not alert, and anything but intentional.  Jesus warns His disciples (and us) to pray, fervently, be on watch, lest we fall into temptation.  Lest we fall into anger, greed, self-righteousness…any and all of the above.  Our hearts want Jesus, but our bodies are accustomed to the instant gratification of this world.  If it’s not an immediate need to fulfill, it can wait, right?  On the flip side, if it will bring us more comfort in this world, let’s do whatever it takes to get it now.  It’s the unconscious motto of self.

In His words, you can feel Jesus’ heart, His anguish, His concern for His disciples.  It hurts.  And we know the hearts of each disciple all too well, we are tired and weary and don’t really understand where Jesus takes us sometimes and what He is asking of us and when it will end and why He can’t just rescue us and call it eternity already.  But He is reminding us…wait, don’t get caught up and comfortable in this world, be on guard, this is not your real home, with ME is your true home, it’s where your heart’s desires should cultivate.

Dear Father,

Praise Your name!  I just thank You for keeping the desire of holiness alert and alive in me.  It is so easy to let this life be our focus, to get caught up in the right-here-right-now syndrome.  Forgive me Father when I choose to not turn to You first.  You are it…my heart’s desire…may my life be a reflection of that.  I love You!

A