As the rain and snow

“Samuel said, ‘Gather all Israel at Mizpah, and I will pray to the Lord for you.’ So they gathered at Mizpah and drew water and poured it out before the Lord and fasted and said, ‘We have sinned against the Lord…’ Now when the Philistines heard that the people of Israel had gathered at Mizpah, the lords of the Philistines went up against Israel. And when the people of Israel heard of it, they were afraid of the Philistines. And the people said to Samuel, ‘Do not cease to cry out to the Lord our God for us, that he may save us from the hand of the Philistines.^‘ So Samuel took a nursing lamb and offered it as a whole burnt offering to the Lord. And Samuel cried out to the Lord for Israel, and the Lord answered him. As Samuel was offering up the burnt offering, the Philistines drew near to attack Israel. But the Lord thundered with a mighty sound that day against the Philistines and threw them into confusion, and they were defeated before Israel.  And the men of Israel went out from Mizpah and pursued the Philistines and struck them, as far as below Beth-car.

“Then Samuel took a stone and set it up between Mizpah and Shen and called its name Ebenezer; for he said, ‘Till now the Lord has helped us.^‘ So the Philistines were subdued and did not again enter the territory of Israel. And the hand of the Lord was against the Philistines all the days of Samuel.” 1 Samuel 7:5-13

Samuel led Israel with spiritual wisdom and consistent prayer. In spite of their fickleness and folly, for their eternal sake, he sought the Lord’s help and favor. He would not be with them forever, so he left them a stone of remembrance, not to call him to mind, but to remind them of God’s powerful interceding and deliverance in their impossibility. Thus far He had helped them, and He would help them still.

We all need Samuels and Ebenezers in our lives. We might have grit and determination for many challenges, but we also endure moments, even seasons, of weak faith. It is a true gift to have a wise and steadfast friend we can implore for prayer, one who will recount for us God’s gracious victories and strong hand. God uses the support and refreshment of others to build our faith and expectancy.

We too can be Samuels for fellow Christians, ones they can trust with their fears and foes, ones they can believe will undergird them in prayer and point them to the Lord. It is helpful to journal personal remembrances of God’s intimate answers and mighty interventions so we can share what He’s done and can do. How eager are we to listen to others’ needs? How faithful to take them to the Lord in prayer?

When have we thanked God for those who’ve sacrificed to support us? How will we intercede for the needy? Gritty and selfless involvement with others results in great honor to God.

“Here I raise my Ebenezer;
hither by thy help I’m come;
and I hope, by thy good pleasure,
safely to arrive at home.
Prone to wander, Lord, I feel it,
prone to leave the God I love;
here’s my heart; O take and seal it;
seal it for thy courts above.” ~ Robert Robinson (1758)

Father, build my repertoire of Ebenezer stones for others’ help and Your praise.

“Naomi had a relative of her husband’s, a worthy man… whose name was Boaz. Ruth the Moabite said to Naomi, ‘Let me go to the field and glean among the ears of grain after him in whose sight I shall find favor.’ And she said , ‘Go, my daughter.’ So she went and gleaned in the field after the reapers, and [came] to the part belonging to Boaz… Boaz said to his young man in charge .., ‘Whose young woman is this?’ The servant… answered, ‘She is the young Moabite woman, who came back with Naomi from the Moab. She said, “Please let me glean and gather among the sheaves after the reapers.” So she came, and has continued from early morning until now, except for a short rest.’

“Then Boaz said to Ruth, ‘My daughter, do not go to glean in another field or leave this one, but keep close to my young women… Have I not charged the young men not to touch you? And when you are thirsty, go to the vessels and drink what the young men have drawn.’ Then she fell on her face, bowing to the ground, and said to him, ‘Why have I found favor in your eyes, that you should take notice of me, since I am a foreigner?’ Boaz answered her, ‘All that you have done for your mother-in-law since the death of your husband has been fully told to me, and how you left your father and mother and your native land and came to a people that you did not know before. The Lord repay you for what you have done, and a full reward be given you by the Lord, the God of Israel, under whose wings you have come to take refuge!’ Then she said, ‘I have found favor in your eyes, my lord, for you have comforted me and spoken kindly to your servant.'” Ruth 2:1-3,5-13

When the Moabite Ruth married Elimelech and Naomi’s son, she tied herself to them and their God for good. Once widowed and given the opportunity to stay in her native country, she insisted on following Naomi to Bethlehem and identifying with the true God. She had cast in her lot with their family in faith, not knowing what would come, but knowing Whom she would follow. This new season of her life would be lived one next thing at a time, and she would experience a glorious unfolding of God’s redeeming love and redemptive plan. (Ruth 1:15-18; 3:6-13)

Any large decision carries with it many unknowns. As we do the next right thing, trusting Him to guide and work, God unfolds His will. Knowing the beginning from the end, He determines road blocks and detours, designs heartaches and disruptions and transitions to train us in faith and bring about His wider and longer-term purposes. Our commitment to obedience unleashes anticipation at His gracious provision and unfolding.

When circumstances go awry, how steadfast are we in doing the next right thing? Do we freeze in fear, or hesitate because we can’t know the whole picture? Do we doubt our own ability or God’s seeing us through? What sloth or distractions slow our progress? How will we refocus on the Lord who orchestrates all, and adjust attitude and action to keep in step with Him?

Father, help me consistently, confidently do the next right thing with joyful expectation of Your grace and glory.

“Give ear to my words, O Lord;
    consider my groaning.
Give attention to the sound of my cry,
    my King and my God,
    for to you do I pray.
O Lord, in the morning you hear my voice;
    in the morning I prepare a sacrifice for you and watch…

But I, through the abundance of your steadfast love,
    will enter your house.
I will bow down toward your holy temple
    in the fear of you.
Lead me, O Lord, in your righteousness
    because of my enemies;
    make your way straight before me.

For there is no truth in their mouth;
    their inmost self is destruction;
their throat is an open grave;
    they flatter with their tongue.
Make them bear their guilt, O God;
    let them fall by their own counsels;
because of the abundance of their transgressions cast them out,
    for they have rebelled against you.

But let all who take refuge in you rejoice;
    let them ever sing for joy,
and spread your protection over them,
    that those who love your name may exult in you.
For you bless the righteous, O Lord;
    you cover him with favor as with a shield.” Psalm 5:1-3,7-12

David pleads, groans, cries, asks, offers early sacrifice, and watches. He approaches his holy Lord humbly, in reverent fear, seeking guidance and direction. He confesses inner thoughts, unburdens his hurts and desires, and claims refuge and his need for protection. He prays, exultant in the name he loves, claiming joy. His moods and words portray a rich prayer life known to all who call God Lord.

The cacophony of noise around us would drown out many a prayer. Busyness eats our quiet, shared and strange loves steal holy devotion. Vitriol and stress unsettle our concentration, a myriad of split-second images confuse our focus. In spite of all these, and above their distractions, the Psalms are ours for the holding, voicing, and offering when we are speechless. Jesus has opened the way for us to approach Him and commune at any time, with any concern or need or praise. (Psalm 7:10,17; 139:23-24; Hebrews 4:15–16)

How would we describe our prayer life? As an occasional wish directed heavenward? A rote recitation of another’s orchestrated words? A regular concentrated wrestling to commune and convey with God?

When do we pray to Him? Only in emotional desperation or dire need, at a relegated time and that’s all, or as an ongoing conversation? What voices do we avoid, and employ? The more we relate to Jesus, pouring out both praise and honest need, the stronger will be our relationship and the sharper our spiritual sensitivities. Taking advantage of His welcome and listening ensures encouragement and blessing.

“What a friend we have in Jesus,
all our sins and griefs to bear!
What a privilege to carry
everything to God in prayer!
O what peace we often forfeit,
O what needless pain we bear,
all because we do not carry
everything to God in prayer!

Have we trials and temptations?
Is there trouble anywhere?
We should never be discouraged;
take it to the Lord in prayer!
Are we weak and heavy laden,
cumbered with a load of care?
Precious Savior, still our refuge–
take it to the Lord in prayer!” ~ Joseph Medlicott Scriven (1855)

Lord, keep me praising and praying always.

“The secret things belong to the Lord our God, but the things that are revealed belong to us and to our children forever, that we may do all the words of this law.” Deuteronomy 29:29

“When he calls to me, I will answer him.” Psalm 91:15a

“You have heard; now see all this;
    and will you not declare it?
From this time forth I announce to you new things,
    hidden things that you have not known.
They are created now, not long ago;
    before today you have never heard of them,
    lest you should say, ‘Behold, I knew them.’
You have never heard, you have never known,
    from of old your ear has not been opened.” Isaiah 48:6-8

“For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope. Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will hear you. You will seek me and find me, when you seek me with all your heart.”

“Thus says the Lord who made the earth, the Lord who formed it to establish it—the Lord is his name: Call to me and I will answer you, and will tell you great and hidden things that you have not known.” Jeremiah 29:11-13; 33:2-3

The Lord God is infinite in knowing and imagination, and does not hoard His secrets. Repeatedly He beckons His children come, call out, inquire, and seek, and He promises to welcome, hear, answer, and reveal. He designed us so that part of our process of grasping His great and hidden things is honed in the desire, the searching. We need to realize we do not know and understand before experiencing the grace of His enlightenment, to grasp that magnificent treasures are supernaturally apprehended and comprehended for them to be valued as uniquely His. (James 1:5)

In the deluge of information at the ready, we are often complacent with what is delivered to us. Why expend effort or time to dig when a glut of opinion and remedies are easily available? O, what we miss out on in the pining and the panning! (Proverbs 1:5-7; 2:1-15)

The trouble with accepting what is offered at no cost is that we grow lazy in discernment and atrophied in the muscles of faith. We take things at face value and never look below the surface. We never know the thrill of reaching and discovery, navigating deep in exploration, adjusting to the brilliant new light of the Spirit’s illumination. We may own adequate information to get by with bland faith, but will never experience the fullness of a life given to knowing Christ.

What do I long to understand about and have from Jesus? When is the last time I sought His treasure? What effort do I exert, in prayer and study, to know Him, His ways, His plans for me?

“Immortal, invisible, God only wise,
in light inaccessible hid from our eyes,
most blessed, most glorious, the Ancient of Days,
almighty, victorious, thy great name we praise.

Great Father of glory, pure Father of light,
thine angels adore thee, all veiling their sight;
all praise we would render, O help us to see
’tis only the splendor of light hideth thee.” ~Walter C. Smith (1867)

Lord, keep me pressing on to know You, and so live for Your glory. (Hosea 6:3)

“When I consider the heavens, the work of your fingers,
    the moon and the stars, which you have set in place,
what is man that you are mindful of him,
    and the son of man that you care for him?

Yet you have made him a little lower than the heavenly beings
    and crowned him with glory and honor.
You have given him dominion over the works of your hands;
    you have put all things under his feet.” Psalm 8:3-6

“Who has measured the waters in the hollow of his hand
    and marked off the heavens with a span,
enclosed the dust of the earth in a measure
    and weighed the mountains in scales
    and the hills in a balance?
Who has measured the Spirit of the Lord,
    or what man shows him his counsel?
Whom did he consult,
    and who made him understand?
Who taught him justice,
    and knowledge,
    and showed him the way of understanding?..
To whom then will you liken God,
    or what likeness compare with him?

Do you not know? Do you not hear?..
It is he who sits above the circle of the earth,
    and its inhabitants are like grasshoppers;
who stretches out the heavens like a curtain,
    and spreads them like a tent to dwell in…

To whom will you compare me..? says the Holy One.
Lift up your eyes on high and see:
    who created these?
He who brings out their host by number,
    calling them all by name;
by the greatness of his might
    and because he is strong in power,
    not one is missing.” Isaiah 40:12-14,18,21-22,25-26

Throughout the scriptures, the Lord reveals himself and speaks to His people through the world He made. He illustrates His promises by drawing Abraham to the infinite speckling stars in the black night sky and the grains of sand on the seashore. He humbles David by the vast canopy of space over his shepherd fields. Isaiah and others were captivated by His immeasurable greatness observed in the vastness of creation and intricacies of His creatures. Indeed, He made us to marvel at and know Him. (Genesis 15:5; 22:17; Job 38:4-12,38:34-39:6)

Frenzied with managing and busying, we have little breath left for wonder. Who do we think we are that we can’t pause and ponder God and His creation? Our calendars and hours get so packed with lesser pursuits that we fancy ourselves into thinking who is He, and how dare He, rather than what and who am I? Contemplating the infinite, omnipotent Lord and HIs handiwork puts us in our place.

In what are we so entrenched that we’ve displaced the Lord by misplacing ourselves at center? How can we make it a regular practice to hush and ‘consider the work of God’s fingers,’ and revere Him? From what occupations and screens and mirrors do we need to turn so we can look up, and out, and behold His glory?

“O Lord my God, When I in awesome wonder,
Consider all the worlds Thy Hands have made;
I see the stars, I hear the rolling thunder,
Thy power throughout the universe displayed.

Then sings my soul, My Saviour God, to Thee,
How great Thou art, How great Thou art.” ~ Carl Bobert (1886)

Lord, put and keep me in my place before Your greatness, humbled in gratitude and faithful stewardship, to Your glory.

“I am a Jew, born in Tarsus in Cilicia, but brought up in this city, educated at the feet of Gamaliel according to the strict manner of the law of our fathers, being zealous for God as all of you are this day. I persecuted this Way to the death, binding and delivering to prison both men and women… I journeyed toward Damascus to take those also who were there and bring them in bonds to Jerusalem to be punished.

“As I was on my way and drew near to Damascus, about noon a great light from heaven suddenly shone around me. I fell to the ground and heard a voice saying to me, ‘Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me?’ I answered, ‘Who are you, Lord?’ And he said to me, ‘I am Jesus of Nazareth, whom you are persecuting.’ Those who were with me saw the light but did not understand the voice… And I said, ‘What shall I do, Lord?’ And the Lord said to me, ‘Rise, and go into Damascus, and there you will be told all that is appointed for you to do.’ And since I could not see because of the brightness of that light, I was led by the hand by those who were with me, and came into Damascus.

“And Ananias, a devout man according to the law, well spoken of by all the Jews who lived there, came to me, and standing by me said to me, ‘Brother Saul, receive your sight.’ At that very hour I received my sight and saw him. And he said, ‘The God of our fathers appointed you to know his will, to see the Righteous One and to hear a voice from his mouth; for you will be a witness for him to everyone of what you have seen and heard.  Why do you wait? Rise and be baptized and wash away your sins, calling on his name.’” Acts 22:3-16

The Lord Jesus’s supernatural confrontation with Paul that drastically saved and redirected his life was a story he never tired of telling. Assumingly relayed firsthand to Luke, who recorded the initial meeting on the road to Damascus as well as subsequent accounts to the Jerusalem crowds, Governor Felix, and King Agrippa, Paul’s description is retold with passion and particular meaning each time. His experience of the Lord’s pursuing, revealing Himself, and removing his spiritual blinders was the gospel come to life. His aim was to proclaim and spread that gospel with every breath so people would “turn from darkness to light and from the power of Satan to God, that they may receive forgiveness.” (Acts 9:1-18; 24:14-15; 26:2-20)

May we never get over the wonder of Christ Jesus’s costly gift of salvation! Do we ponder His remarkable love and grace, and how He broke into our hearts to redeem? Does the thought of His setting His affection on me, a wandering rebel, still thrill my soul? Would I thank Him anew today?

Do we love to tell the story of how the Lord sought and delivered us? If not, will we pray for fresh gratitude and humility, and take time to marvel at His life-giving death and resurrection? If we ask for opportunities, compulsion, and courage to tell the gospel story, He will answer. When we speak, God can effect an eternal difference. Whom will we tell today?

Lord, may Your gospel story be the theme of all my days, to other’s awakening and Your glory.

“‘Your Maker is your husband,
    the Lord of hosts is his name;
and the Holy One of Israel is your Redeemer,
    the God of the whole earth he is called…
In overflowing anger for a moment
    I hid my face from you,
but with everlasting love I will have compassion on you,’
    says the Lord, your Redeemer…

“‘For the mountains may depart
    and the hills be removed,
but my steadfast love shall not depart from you,
    and my covenant of peace shall not be removed,’
    says the Lord, who has compassion on you.” Isaiah 54:5,8,10

“Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or danger, or sword?..

“No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.” Romans 8:34,36-39

Israel could have felt abandoned, miserable and hopeless, reeling in the consequences of rebellion against their Lord. The prophet taught them that though God turned His back momentarily, He would never abandon His covenant with them. He was their Maker, Redeemer, and loyal Husband whose steadfast and everlasting love would never betray or depart from them. No matter their temporary circumstances, His eternal love was near and would forever hold them.

It gives the child of God great security to know that nothing can separate us from God’s love. Many are the strains in life and on fidelity in relationships. Pressures, jealousies, betrayals, offenses abound. External opposition and internal conflicts vie for emotional currency. We can be whiplashed at a word, a moment, an unexpected turn of circumstances, yet the Lord remains steady and steadfast. In the whirl and turmoil of worldly disruptions, His love holds.

Are we as believers anchored in this assurance? The Lord has proclaimed what is true, and proves it over and over. By our will we must reckon it so. How real are His vows to us? Do we take Him at His word and trust His promises? Are we standing strong in the fiercest of onslaughts in His safe and surrounding love?

What doubts poke at our assurance, and stoke fear? What outside forces, pestering accusations, or internal shaming attempts to separate us from God’s love? If past repented sin, we must by faith claim His finished work and full forgiveness. If uncertainty over present or future security, we can apply His promise of sufficiency and supply. If pervading sin habits that pepper our souls with unworthiness, we must immediately renounce them and yield to Christ’s sanctifying power. Visible or invisible, blatant and bold or insidious and deceptive, opposing forces will not relent, but we can meet them safe in the Lord’s relentless love.

“Oh, the deep, deep love of Jesus—
Vast, unmeasured, boundless, free—
Rolling as a mighty ocean
In its fullness over me!
Underneath me, all around me
Is the current of His love—
Leading onward, leading homeward
To His glorious rest above.” ~S. Trevor Francis

Lord, help me continually rest and rejoice in Your amazing love.

“This is the covenant I will make with Israel, declares the Lord: I will put my law within them, and I will write it on their hearts. I will be their God, and they shall be my people. No longer shall each one teach his neighbor and each his brother, saying, ‘Know the Lord,’ for they shall all know me, from the least of them to the greatest, declares the Lord. For I will forgive their iniquity, and I will remember their sin no more.

“Thus says the Lord,
who gives the sun for light by day
    and the fixed order of the moon and the stars for light by night,
who stirs up the sea so that its waves roar—
    the Lord of hosts is his name:
‘If this fixed order departs
    from before me, declares the Lord,
then shall the offspring of Israel cease
    from being a nation before me forever.’

“Thus says the Lord:
‘If the heavens above can be measured,
    and the foundations of the earth below can be explored,
then I will cast off all the offspring of Israel
    for all that they have done,
declares the Lord.’” Jeremiah 31:33-37

“Forever, O Lord, your word
    is firmly fixed in the heavens.” Psalm 119:89

God’s fixed word and order are the foundation of fixed hope. His promises are pledged in sure conviction, His will is fixed in eternal purpose. His Word is as dependable as His arranged course of day and night, tides and moon phases, blooms and seasons. The order of creation and His creatures’ fruitfulness testify to the Lord’s divine imagination, unchanging nature, and constancy. (Genesis 8:22; Job 14:5; Psalm 74:16-17; 90:1; Isaiah 14:24; Jeremiah 33:25-26)

When we come to know Jesus, He plants in us His Spirit, fixing our eternal security. He draws us into His ordered plan of time and space to know and glorify Him. As we daily seek Him in His word for insight, inspiration, and direction, He empowers us to do His will. (John 15:5; Acts 17:25-27)

How firmly fixed in God’s word are my priorities? How do my time, work, and service reflect His divine order? How will I secure anew my identity, purpose, and hope in Him? Fixed in Christ, hope is certain.

“God, all nature sings Thy glory, and Thy works proclaim Thy might;
Ordered vastness in the heavens, ordered course of day and night;
Beauty in the changing seasons, beauty in the storming sea;
All the changing moods of nature praise the changeless Trinity. 

Clearer still we see Thy hand in man whom Thou hast made for Thee;
Ruler of creation’s glory, image of Thy majesty.
Music, art, the fruitful garden, all the labor of his days,
Are the calling of his Maker to the harvest feast of praise. 

But our sins have spoiled Thine image; nature, conscience only serve
As unceasing, grim reminders of the wrath which we deserve.
Yet Thy grace and saving mercy in Thy Word of truth revealed
Claim the praise of all who know Thee, in the blood of Jesus sealed. 

God of glory, power, mercy, all creation praises Thee;
We, Thy creatures, would adore Thee now and through eternity.
Saved to magnify Thy goodness, grant us strength to do Thy will;
With our acts as with our voices Thy commandments to fulfill.” ~ David Clowney (1970)

Father, fix my energy, efforts, and affection on You, so my life exemplifies Your faithfulness and extols Your glory.

“When the unclean spirit has gone out of a person, it passes through waterless places seeking rest, and finding none it says, ‘I will return to my house from which I came.’ And when it comes, it finds the house swept and put in order. Then it goes and brings seven other spirits more evil than itself, and they enter and dwell there. And the last state of that person is worse than the first.” Luke 11:24-26

“Put to death what is earthly in you: sexual immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry… In these you too once walked… Now you must put them all away: anger, wrath, malice, slander, and obscene talk. Do not lie to one another, seeing that you have put off the old self with its practices and have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge after the image of its creator…

“Put on then, as God’s chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience, bearing with one another and… forgiving each other… as the Lord has forgiven you… Above all these put on love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony. And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body. And be thankful. Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God. And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.” Colossians 3:5–10,12-17

Repeatedly in the gospels, Jesus cast out unclean spirits to free individuals to life anew, to see, love, and serve Him. Upon salvation, the old life is gone, the new has come. When evil and the old heart is removed, good and a new heart must replace them. By instruction and parable, He taught that His people cannot serve two masters: serve Me, or serve another. If you do not put into practice a new way of living, the old will return and infest your devotion and habits. Only one Lord can reside on your throne. (Matthew 6:24; 8:28-32; 12:22; Mark 10:45; Luke 4:33-36; 16:13; 2 Corinthians 5:17)

Whom we put first determines whom we worship determines whom we solicit and surrender to and serve. If we are in Christ, we’ve made the choice to put away the old and be filled with the Holy Spirit. This life in Christ necessitates a constant exchange of self and flesh inclinations for Him.

It is one thing to be convicted of, and put away practices that dishonor God and demean his people, yet it is another to put on Christ instead. Unless we replace wrong thinking, selfish mindsets, and bad practices with right and Christ-ward and good ones, the void will invite back the impulses and nonsense of former custom. Are we willing to make the effort to put on Christ and His graces?

Where can we make the exchanges today? What grousing will we replace with gratitude, what irritation with graciousness, what temper or gluttony with self-control? What impatience can we meet with peace, what anger or callousness with compassion, what deception with truth, what malice with love? The Lord faithfully fills us with His Spirit as we trust and obey.

Father, remove whatever dishonors You, and keep me filled with Your Spirit and light.

“’Simon, Satan demanded to have you, that he might sift you like wheat, but I have prayed for you that your faith may not fail…’ Peter said to him, ‘Even though they all fall away, I will not. Jesus said, ‘Truly,.. this very night, before the rooster crows twice, you will deny me three times.’ But he said emphatically, ‘If I must die with you, I will not deny you.’

“And they went to Gethsemane…. He took with him Peter and James and John, and began to be greatly distressed and troubled. He said to them, ‘My soul is very sorrowful, even to death. Remain here and watch.’ And going a little farther, he fell on the ground and prayed that, if it were possible, the hour might pass from him… ‘Father, all things are possible for you. Remove this cup from me. Yet not what I will, but what you will.’ And he came and found them sleeping, and said, ‘Simon, are you asleep? Could you not watch one hour? Watch and pray that you may not enter into temptation. The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak.’ Again he went and prayed… And again he found them sleeping… And he came the third time and said, ‘Are you still sleeping?'” Luke 22:31-32; Mark 14:29-41a

Peter held great confidence in his fidelity to Jesus. He would die before he’d deny his Master. But he boasted in the flesh without watching in spirit. Jesus warned him, urging him to watch and pray, yet he slept, and succumbed to Satan’s insidious sifting through the suspicious comments of strangers. (Mark 14:54,66-72)

Jesus’ commands always come with the ability to triumph over weakness… when we take them seriously. He knows all, is gracious to alert us to dangers, and offers the way out of temptation. Our responsibility is to distrust our own strength and take strength in Him, to heed His warnings, be diligent to watch, and pray, and resist. (Proverbs 3:5-6; 1 Corinthians 10:13; Ephesians 6:10-18; Hebrews 4:15-16)

Yet, we get preoccupied with personal endeavors. We grow blind to subtle, lurking dangers, the teasing greed, alluring tokens of exaggeration, self-promotion, praise, pleasure, at the expense of His honor and truth. How easily we slip from arrogant assertions to the first denial, which opens the gate to one more, and another. (Psalm 141:3-4)

How well do we even know God’s warnings to us? As we read the scriptures, do we mark them and digest their importance? The Lord mercifully exposes the devil’s wiles and man’s weakness so we will watch and pray. What time and attention do we take to do so? This must be a regular and constant practice to remain effective. (Joshua 24:19,23; Psalm 1:1-3; James 4:7; 1 Peter 5:8)

With what areas of weakness do we struggle? When thoughts puff and detour to condescension of others, covetousness, shame over forgiven sin, or gnarly complaint, we must watch and pray to have the mind of Christ, to focus on things above. When the flesh stews or burns with sloth, jealousy, lust, greed, or rage, we must watch and pray, surrendering the whole self. Whatever our weakness, we will be sifted, and God’s strength can protect and perfect. (Romans 12:1-2; 1 Corinthians 2:16; 2 Corinthians 12:7–10; Colossians 3:1-2; 1 John 1:9)

Lord, keep me vigilant to watch, diligent in prayer, and triumphant over temptation, to Your praise.