He came to the disciples and found them sleeping. And he said to Peter, “So, could you not watch with me one hour? Watch and pray that you may not enter into temptation. The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak” (Matthew 26:40-41).
The next few years will be the greatest opportunity for victorious prayer in the history of the world.
Why I say this – tick, tock, tick, tock – there isn’t a major prophecy in the entire Bible about Jesus’s return that isn’t already fulfilled or on the verge of fulfillment. For years, David Reagan, on the TV set of Lamb & Lion Ministries, had an old clock set at 11:59. Astute readers would ask why David never wound his clock.
His answer, “The clock symbolizes that we are living in the season of Christ’s return.”
Until Jesus returns, God is raising up intercessors. God includes the saints in His plans. We reign with Christ. In the end-times, the greatest prayers by the greatest intercessors will be asked and answered.
You are one of the intercessors.
A question: Can you sleep at night? Many faithful Christians are waking up in the middle of the night. Before you go to your doctor for medication, consider that your sleeplessness may be God’s “end-time” call to prayer.
In 1987, I read a book entitled Could You Not Tarry One Hour?
The book described the disciples who couldn’t stay awake for one hour while Jesus prayed in agony in the Garden of Gethsemane. I asked myself the question. I determined that I would learn to watch and pray.
And also to consider middle of the night awakenings as the Lord asking me to tarry for an hour.
A question – can you tarry one hour?
The disciples had the honor of praying with Jesus before his eternal sacrifice. Yet they fell asleep. The church today will experience the greatest defeats and victories of history in the next few years… then Jesus returns.
We are called to intercede.
I will write more about this topic in my next Interruption but through the years I have experienced three types of intercession at night:
- Gaining Ground. I get a euphoric sense of victory and know the Lord has plans for breakthrough.
- Defending Ground. Usually proceeded with a weird dream of defeat, emptiness, or dread, I wake up and pray. Praying in the Spirit is most useful as the specifics are often hidden.
- Higher Ground. God gives prophetic dreams or visions of His calling for you or His church. I love these dreams and they often arrive as confirmations of a step of faith that I am considering.
I confess, if I had been one of the disciples on the last night of Jesus’s life, while He prayed, I would have been sleeping too. John, Peter, James, Simon the Zealot, Jude, Bartholomew, Andrew, James the younger, Matthew, Philip, Thomas, and Pastor Grant.
I stay awake now. Many opportunities with prayer today.