Luke 22:40 And when he was at the place
he said to them Pray that you enter not
into temptation 41: And he was withdrawn from them about a stone's
cast and kneeled down and prayed 42: Saying Father if you be willing remove this cup from me nevertheless not my
will but thine be done 43: And there appeared an angel to him from
heaven strengthening him[1] 44:
And being in an agony he prayed more earnestly and his sweat was as it were
great drops of blood falling down to the ground 45: And when he rose up
from prayer and was come to his disciples he found them sleeping for sorrow[2] 46:
And said unto them Why do you sleep rise
and pray lest ye enter into temptation
[1] Angels
are all ministering spirits sent
forth to serve those who are heirs of salvation (all believers) Hebrews 1:14
[2] Escape is usually, if not always the beginning. The
disciples were using sleep as an escape from the sorrow they felt as they
watched their lord struggle in prayer before his crucifixion. Jesus rebuked
them for seeking to escape from the current horrendous reality, rather than
casting their cares on the Lord in prayer. What else, besides sleep, do we use
as escapes [which can easily morph into addiction or substance abuse] from
overwhelming emotions, such as fear or anxiety, that we do not want to deal
with, drugs, alcohol, work, food, video games…?
Jocelyn Andersen is best known for her book, Woman
Submit! Christians & Domestic Violence. For more information about her work, visit
her website at www.JocelynAndersen.com
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