To Encourage You

Colossians 4:2 “Continue steadfastly in prayer, being watchful in it . . .”

A word that caught my attention today as I read and thought about the passage above is the word “watchful.”  The word literally means “to stay awake.”  So, in the context of prayer, is God simply telling us to be careful when we bow our heads and close our eyes so that we don’t end up sleeping instead? Perhaps that’s one of the meanings, for didn’t Jesus ask his disciples to “watch and pray that you may not enter into temptation” in the Garden of Gethsemane on the night he was betrayed, but instead they fell asleep.  But then Luke 22:45 tells us WHY they fell asleep, i.e., that it was from sorrow.  They were overwhelmed with the thought that Jesus had prophesied that He would be betrayed and put to death.  So, rather than pray, they fell into despair, and the result: they all soon forsook him and fled. Peter denied that he even knew Him. 

So, back to the passage above from Colossians 4, a question that comes to mind is “Be watchful for what?”  Looking elsewhere in the Scriptures where some form of the word “watch” is used, we see the following from Matthew 24:42: “stay awake (i.e., watch), for you do not know on what day your Lord is coming.”  Similarly, in Luke 12:37 we read, “Blessed are those servants whom the master finds awake (i.e., watching) when he comes. Truly, I say to you, he will dress himself for service and have them recline at table, and he will come and serve them.” Both of these verses point to our need to be ready at all times for the coming of the Lord. We are to be alert, living as if He could come at any moment.  

In Acts 20:28-31 Paul had this to say to the Ephesian elders as he prepared to move on to another city: “Pay careful attention to yourselves and to all the flock, in which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers, to care for the church of God, which he obtained with his own blood. I know that after my departure fierce wolves will come in among you, not sparing the flock; and from among your own selves will arise men speaking twisted things, to draw away the disciples after them. Therefore be alert (i.e., watch), remembering that for three years I did not cease night or day to admonish every one with tears.”  In reference to spiritual warfare, Paul urges us that we are to be “praying at all times in the Spirit, with all prayer and supplication. To that end, keep alert (i.e., watch) with all perseverance, making supplication for all the saints” (Ephesians 6:18).  

In all of these verses we see a theme that “to watch” is in reference to ourselves and the ways that spiritual negligence can bring great harm to our lives. We should be very aware of our weaknesses and devoted to bringing our need for God’s strength in the face of these weaknesses before Him in prayer. We pray because the source of our strength to live a victorious Christian life comes not from within us, but from the God Who is infinitely greater than us and Who has invited us to bring our every need directly to Him.  

May God help us to do this. May He help us to be watchful, alert, attuned to our need for God’s constant help.  And as we look to Him continually, we will see that He is also, wonderfully, watching over us. That’s what He’s told us in the awesome words of Psalm 121, words about this God who NEVER sleeps: 

“I lift up my eyes to the mountains— where does my help come from? My help comes from the Lord, the Maker of heaven and earth. He will not let your foot slip—he who watches over you will not slumber; indeed, he who watches over Israel will neither slumber nor sleep. The Lord watches over you—the Lord is your shade at your right hand; the sun will not harm you by day, nor the moon by night. The Lord will keep you from all harm—he will watch over your life; the Lord will watch over your coming and going both now and forevermore.”