“Pray that you may not enter into temptation.” Luke 22: 40
After Jesus concluded the celebration of The Passover, He left The Upper Room, and led His disciples to The Mount of Olives. He invited them to accompany Him into a familiar, secluded garden overlooking the city of Jerusalem.
The Garden of Gethsemane was not just secluded. It was sacred. Jesus often withdrew to this place to pray. Prayer was not His way of escaping from people, but it His way of running to God. Prayer sustained His unbroken intimacy with His Father.
Jesus was not too proud to pray. He knew the power of resistance over the enemy was in direct proportion to His dependence upon The Father. Jesus was devoted to prayer and to the Word of God. Those seeing resistance to temptation would be wise to follow His lead into The Garden.
Prayerless people fail to resist temptation, because they place their trust in their own strength to deal with it. Prayerless people, puffed up with pride in their own personal strengths or a list of their own accomplishments are easy targets for a relentless enemy. Don’t be one of them.
The Garden was a place where Jesus often went, not just to get away from the cares of people, but to place His cares into the hands of God.
“And He came out and proceeded as was His custom to the Mount of Olives; and the disciples also followed Him.” V. 39
Weary in well-doing, reflecting upon the great events of the day, the disciples were relieved to find some solitude from the press of the crowds. Expecting to get some much-needed rest, little did these tired men know that the real work of the ministry was about to begin. Jesus tried to warn them.
“When He arrived at the place, He said to them, ‘Pray that you may not enter into temptation.” Luke 22:40
The disciples must have thought it a strange remark for Jesus to make to them as they settled into this safe, secluded haven. After a great day of ministry, and a powerful Passover celebration, everything appeared to be going their way. Actually, it was coming their way. Temptation always is.
WARNING: Satan loves to attack after a great victory. He knows the capacity of people to rest on their laurels and to let their guard down after getting a win under their belts. Pray without ceasing because the enemy never stops attacking.
God’s plan of redemption was right on schedule. Nothing was going to happen to Jesus that would be a surprise God or catch Jesus off guard. Still, the enemy was going to tempt the disciples to panic in the face of the battle of redemption in order to steal, kill and destroy all their fondest dreams. His battle plan remains the same.
Jesus gathered the disciples to pray for the power to resist the unexpected attack of the enemy. Warning and withdrawing from His disciples, Jesus began to pray. His disciples promptly fell asleep. They followed him into The Garden, but they failed to join Him in the fight.
Remember this one thing. Prayer is war! Fight to win.
The Reformer, Martin Luther, is often attributed with a very clever, but incomplete perspective on temptation.
“I can’t stop birds from flying over my head, but I can stop them from building nests in my hair.”
Resisting temptation is more than seeing what is wrong. Prayer empowers a disciple to see what was right.
Jesus offered prayer to His disciples to prepare them to face any trial, or test the enemy would throw against them. Satan had asked permission to sift Peter, but all the disciples were going to have their faith pounded.
The enemy still loves to attack at night to leave prayerless people in the dark, wondering what hit them. Prayer serves as a pair of night vision goggles to enable alert warriors to see what the enemy is doing in the dark. Prayer also reveals the hand of God. When it appears the enemy is winning, prayer will enable you to see God is always working.
Note to Self: It is always too early to panic, and never too late to pray. Prayer prepares you for the pounding and the purifying of your faith. Prayerlessness leaves you vulnerable to temptation. Prayerfulness empowers you to resist temptation. Never trust in your own power to resist an attack on your faith. Run into The Presence of Almighty God for His direction, protection and correction. Never doubt in the dark what you know to be true in the light. TALK LESS! PRAY MORE!
Dr. Gary Miller