(Part 2)
“Going a little farther, he fell to the ground and prayed that if possible the hour might pass from him. “Abba,Father,” he said, “Everything is possible for you. Take this cup from me. Yet not what I will, but what you will.” Then he returned to his disciples andfound them sleeping. “Simon,” he said to Peter, “Are you asleep? Could you not keep watch for one hour?”
Mark 14:35-37
Jesus, hours before his crucifixion, prepared himself for the unimaginable trial that was before him by pressing into a time of earnest prayer. Nevertheless, even in the midst of His own pressing, he returned to His disciples!
The first time, He returned to them, we see that He mentioned Peter by name… “Simon, Are you asleep?” Jesus had told Peter, earlier that evening that Satan had asked to sift him like wheat. As Jesus was preparing to face the trials before Him, Peter was sleeping. Perhaps Peter felt that his passion and zeal would be adequate to face Satan’s schemes. However, he would soon discover that passion is no substitute for preparation.
Three times,Jesus would return to his disciples that night and three times he would find them sleeping. Men who had declared they would never fall away. One man, Peter,declared he would even die for Jesus! Yet they could not even muster the fortitude to pray for one hour!
Later that evening, Jesus is arrested and we catch up with Peter in Mark 14:66-72:
“While Peter was below in the courtyard,one of the servant girls of the high priest came by. When she saw Peter warminghimself, she looked closely at him. “You also were with that Nazarene, Jesus,” she said. But he denied it. “I don’t know or understand what you’re talking
about,” he said, and went out into the entryway. When the servant girl saw him
there, she said again to those standing around, “This fellow is one of them.”
Again he denied it. After a little while, those standing near said to Peter,
“Surely you are one of them, for you are a Galilean.” He began to call down
curses, and he swore to them, “I don’t know this man you’re talking about.” Immediately
the rooster crowed the second time. Then Peter remembered the word Jesus had
spoken to him: “Before the rooster crows twice you will disown me three times.”
And he broke down and wept”
Peter is being pressed! Unfortunately, he is not prepared to face the challenges and
troubles before him. Three times Peter denied Jesus, the same number of times
that Jesus tried to wake him to pray.
Jesus was prepared to face what was ahead of him because he had spent time in the
“oil press”! Peter, however, caved to the pressures because he slept when he
should have been praying.
Do not think you can rely on your passion to carry you through difficult times, it
is the time that we spend in the oil press of prayer that will ultimately carry
us through!
Pastor Scott Burr
http://faithandworshipseries.blogspot.com/
“Going a little farther, he fell to the ground and prayed that if possible the hour might pass from him. “Abba,Father,” he said, “Everything is possible for you. Take this cup from me. Yet not what I will, but what you will.” Then he returned to his disciples andfound them sleeping. “Simon,” he said to Peter, “Are you asleep? Could you not keep watch for one hour?”
Mark 14:35-37
Jesus, hours before his crucifixion, prepared himself for the unimaginable trial that was before him by pressing into a time of earnest prayer. Nevertheless, even in the midst of His own pressing, he returned to His disciples!
The first time, He returned to them, we see that He mentioned Peter by name… “Simon, Are you asleep?” Jesus had told Peter, earlier that evening that Satan had asked to sift him like wheat. As Jesus was preparing to face the trials before Him, Peter was sleeping. Perhaps Peter felt that his passion and zeal would be adequate to face Satan’s schemes. However, he would soon discover that passion is no substitute for preparation.
Three times,Jesus would return to his disciples that night and three times he would find them sleeping. Men who had declared they would never fall away. One man, Peter,declared he would even die for Jesus! Yet they could not even muster the fortitude to pray for one hour!
Later that evening, Jesus is arrested and we catch up with Peter in Mark 14:66-72:
“While Peter was below in the courtyard,one of the servant girls of the high priest came by. When she saw Peter warminghimself, she looked closely at him. “You also were with that Nazarene, Jesus,” she said. But he denied it. “I don’t know or understand what you’re talking
about,” he said, and went out into the entryway. When the servant girl saw him
there, she said again to those standing around, “This fellow is one of them.”
Again he denied it. After a little while, those standing near said to Peter,
“Surely you are one of them, for you are a Galilean.” He began to call down
curses, and he swore to them, “I don’t know this man you’re talking about.” Immediately
the rooster crowed the second time. Then Peter remembered the word Jesus had
spoken to him: “Before the rooster crows twice you will disown me three times.”
And he broke down and wept”
Peter is being pressed! Unfortunately, he is not prepared to face the challenges and
troubles before him. Three times Peter denied Jesus, the same number of times
that Jesus tried to wake him to pray.
Jesus was prepared to face what was ahead of him because he had spent time in the
“oil press”! Peter, however, caved to the pressures because he slept when he
should have been praying.
Do not think you can rely on your passion to carry you through difficult times, it
is the time that we spend in the oil press of prayer that will ultimately carry
us through!
Pastor Scott Burr
http://faithandworshipseries.blogspot.com/
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