The scene of Jesus praying in the Garden of Gethsemane is familiar to many. It portrays Jesus in agonizing prayer and ultimate submission before His arrest, trial and crucifixion. But it also shows Jesus asking for His closest friends to pray too:<\/p>\n
They went to a place called Gethsemane, and Jesus said to his disciples, \u201cSit here while I pray.\u201d He took Peter, James and John along with him, and he began to be deeply distressed and troubled. \u201cMy soul is overwhelmed with sorrow to the point of death,\u201d he said to them. \u201cStay here and keep watch.\u201d<\/p>\n
Going a little farther, he fell to the ground and prayed that if possible the hour might pass from him. \u201cAbba, Father,\u201d he said, \u201ceverything is possible for you. Take this cup from me. Yet not what I will, but what you will.\u201d<\/p>\n
Then he returned to his disciples and found them sleeping. \u201cSimon,\u201d he said to Peter, \u201care you asleep? Couldn\u2019t you keep watch for one hour? Watch and pray so that you will not fall into temptation. The spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak.\u201d<\/p>\n
Once more he went away and prayed the same thing. When he came back, he again found them sleeping, because their eyes were heavy. They did not know what to say to him.<\/p>\n
Returning the third time, he said to them, \u201cAre you still sleeping and resting? Enough! The hour has come. Look, the Son of Man is delivered into the hands of sinners. Rise! Let us go! Here comes my betrayer!\u201d (Mark 14:32-42, NIV).<\/p>\n
Have you ever stopped to ponder why Jesus asked His friends to \u201cStay here and keep watch?\u201d<\/p>\n
He didn\u2019t mean for them to guard against arrest; He purposefully went \u201cas usual to the Mount of Olives\u201d (Luke 22:39, niv; italics added), a place that Judas, His betrayer, would know well. He wasn\u2019t avoiding capture, but preparing for it.<\/p>\n
So why did He ask them to \u201cStay here and keep watch?\u201d Wasn\u2019t Jesus capable of praying for Himself? Weren\u2019t His prayers good enough and powerful enough? Did He need to activate the \u201cprayer chain?\u201d<\/p>\n
I think He wanted His friends to \u201ckeep watch\u201d with Him for several reasons\u2014reasons that can instruct and encourage us:<\/p>\n
1. Pray to show your care for others.<\/strong><\/p>\n In His dark night of the soul, Jesus craved the care and support of His friends. He had His own prayers to offer, and according to Luke, He had an angel come to strengthen Him (Luke 22:43). He probably also knew that whatever His disciples prayed would be quite different from His own requests. But praying for someone is an act of friendship; it is a form of caring. It is not hard to imagine that Jesus would have liked for His friends to show their love for Him through prayer. <\/p>\n 2. Pray to be a companion to others.<\/strong><\/p>\n Jesus\u2019 words upon finding His friends sleeping are thick with pathos: \u201cCouldn\u2019t you keep watch for one hour?\u201d He felt let down. He felt alone. Imagine the encouragement He might have drawn from them if He had found them praying with Him and even for Him. So it is with us. When we pray for others, we come alongside them and link arms with them. No matter how many miles may separate us, we are \u201cboon companions\u201d to those for whom we pray.<\/p>\n 3. Pray to prepare for what is ahead.<\/strong><\/p>\n After Jesus found them sleeping, He added to His request of His closest friends. He said, \u201cWatch and pray so that you will not fall into temptation.\u201d He may have meant the temptation to fight back against those who came to arrest Him, which they would soon face. He may have meant the temptation to desert Him, or to despair. Or all of the above. Having been disappointed by their lack of care and companionship, He may have hoped that they would at least prepare for what was ahead.<\/p>\n 4. Pray to strengthen yourself.<\/strong><\/p>\n When you pray for others, your prayers also strengthen yourself. In fact, I think it is nearly impossible to intercede for others without deriving some benefit for yourself. So, when Jesus said, \u201cThe spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak,\u201d He may have been doing more than making an observation; He may have been granting them grace (\u201cThe spirit is willing\u201d) while also pointing out their need (\u201cthe flesh is weak\u201d), which could be met through prayer.<\/p>\n What an opportunity Peter, James and John missed on that fateful night. It is an opportunity not unlike that which we face anytime a friend or acquaintance expresses a need, one that imparts care and companionship to others while preparing and strengthening ourselves. It is an opportunity we might pray never to miss. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" The scene of Jesus praying in the Garden of Gethsemane is familiar to many. It portrays Jesus in agonizing prayer and ultimate submission before His arrest, trial and crucifixion. But it also shows Jesus asking for His closest friends to pray too: They went to a place called Gethsemane, and Jesus said to his disciples, […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":78,"featured_media":30973,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"ep_exclude_from_search":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[400],"tags":[46,30],"ppma_author":[465],"class_list":["post-24669","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-prayers-for-loved-ones","tag-friends","tag-prayer"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n