A moment of my life I do not plan on re-living (at least anytime soon) is when I pulled an all-nighter to drive home from the city after a hectic weekend a month ago. It had been a fun yet saturated weekend. My husband and I started our crazy weekend adventure on a Saturday at 2 am after having slept for an hour and a half the night prior. The plan was to make our way to the city (an eight-hour drive) to attend church in the morning and tend to some job commitments Saturday night and Sunday, then make our way back Sunday night to be home and ready to function Monday, no recovery in between.
My husband drove to the city on Saturday morning all on his own (while I slept). He also took the wheel for the first hour and a half of the drive home that Sunday at midnight. We were both beat up, but he was a little bit more. So, I decided to step in.
Thank God, we made it home safely and survived the aftereffects of such a crazy weekend. It was a fun adventure but also a hazardous one!
Struggling in the garden
The story of the Garden of Gethsemane in Matthew 26 has always made me uneasy. Staying up has never been my strong suit. I am sure I would have been the first one to fall asleep at the garden!
When Jesus asked His disciples to stay awake and pray in the Garden of Gethsemane, He wasn’t just asking for companionship. He was inviting them into a sacred moment—to share in His grief, intercede in prayer, and stand firm against the trials to come. Yet, despite His repeated pleas, the disciples fell asleep—not once but multiple times-.
When reading this passage, it’s easy to shake our heads at Peter, James, and John, thinking: “How could they fall asleep at such a crucial moment?” Yet, how often do we fall asleep figuratively or literally in our lives when God is calling us to stay awake?
How often do we, too, let a moment slip by? God allows us to pray, act, comfort someone in need, or stand firm in our faith. But the comforts of sleep, the distractions of life, or the pull of our desires shift our focus.
In Matthew 26:45, Jesus returns to find His disciples sleeping one more time. Then He utters one of the most bittersweet sentences of the Bible: ” Sleep on now, and take your rest: behold, the hour is at hand.”
Are you seizing the moment?
There comes a point when the moment to act passes, and the opportunity vanishes. God gives us countless chances to partner with Him, pray, stand in faith, and make a difference. But if we continually choose our comfort over His calling, we may hear Him say: “Don’t worry, it’s all done”
In what area of your life is Jesus asking you today to stay awake? What opportunities do you have now that you may not have later?
“Watch and pray so that you will not fall into temptation. The spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak.”- Matthew 26:41
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