And He came to the disciples and found them sleeping, and said to Peter, ‘So, you men could not keep watch with Me for one hour?’
– Matthew 26:40
Again He came and found them sleeping, for their eyes were heavy.
– Matthew 26:43
Then He came to the disciples and said to them, ‘Are you still sleeping and resting? Behold, the hour is at hand and the Son of Man is being betrayed into the hands of sinners.’
– Matthew 26:45
Our youngest son is being married soon.
The rehearsal dinner will be held in our large side yard in the country. It’s ignited a frantic attempt to bring our log cabin and yard up to Idaho standards, which means taking down the chicken wire around the old chicken run, slashing a path through the weeds that have wandered over from the neighboring pasture, and spreading a truckload of bark over the dry hillside.
Oh, yeah, and replacing the rotting deck. And front porch. And adding a light post. And building a new sidewalk around the west side. Practically the only thing that has escaped a major facelift is the main house itself.
Since my husband and I are aging faster than our aspirations, we’re exhausted at the end of the day. For years, I had my quiet time with God in the evening. Lately, I’m mostly illuminated by the harsh glow of a monitor as I collapse into bed with my computer and fall asleep to some sappy show.
Last night, as I got ready for bed, Jesus’ words to His disciples at the Garden of Gethsemane suddenly popped into my head. The words were quiet and convicting, and I immediately knew their source.
Could you not keep watch with me for one hour?
Not lately, my Lord.
Chastened, I retrieved my Bible and decided to spend an hour reading. I got comfortable and began in the New Testament. Getting comfortable turned out to be a bad idea. Before long, the words blurred into a warm mush in my brain as my body gave in to the rigors of the day.
I awakened sometime later, chagrined at my weakness. I tried to pick up where I had left off but succumbed again to my tired body, awakening long after the hour had passed.
Not much has changed in the millennia since Christ’s night of agonized prayer in the garden.
We’re still full of lofty intentions but easily betray Him in a single hour. At one of the most crucial moments in history, humanity slept as the Savior fought for His creation. Not a one of us would have done anything differently. Like the disciples of old, we live in the presence of the Almighty Himself and still miss the moment.
Thank God for Jesus. He never sleeps, and His grace covers our every weakness. He lives, always, to fight for us, and He watches over us every hour of the day.
Eyes wide open.
For the eyes of the Lord roam throughout the earth, so that He may strongly support those whose heart is completely His.
– 2 Chronicles 16:9
