Luke 22:45-46 (ESV) — And when he rose from prayer, he came to the disciples and found them sleeping for sorrow, and he said to them, “Why are you sleeping? Rise and pray that you may not enter into temptation.”

What does your prayer life look like? Most Christians I know rarely feel they pray often enough. In addition to the frequency of prayer, many struggle with their quality of prayer. We feel we are going through the motions in our same ruts. But it is vital that we keep striving to learn to pray. Prayer is a privilege we have of communicating with God and fellowshipping with Him. 

Our passage today reveals one aspect of why prayer is so important. Jesus is hours away from his arrest and crucifixion. His soul is troubled. His spirit is anxious as he knows his hour has come. He invites his closest disciples to join him in prayer. What a privilege! Imagine that kind of invitation from the King of Glory on the eve of the most important moment in human history. 

We see as Jesus arose from prayer to check on his disciples, he found them sleeping. They couldn’t stay awake. In this moment where Jesus needed them to join him in prayer, they were snoozing. It is easy to shake our heads at them, but would we have done anything different? The same reason they struggled are the reasons why we would struggle too.

Jesus says to them, “Why are you sleeping? Rise and pray that you may not enter into temptation.” He tells them to wake and start praying. Why? They need spiritual strength to resist temptation. What kind of temptation? They are about to undergo tremendous pressure as Jesus is arrested. Trials and tribulations are going to accompany their association with Jesus. The reason they need to pray is because their flesh is weak. 

Friends, our need to pray is the same. To walk faithfully with Christ in this world requires spiritual help and strength from God. Our flesh is weak. Temptation is real. We need to rise and pray each day for the spiritual help and assistance to walk faithfully that day. 

Reflection & Journal:
- Why does Jesus want his disciples to pray with him?
- What does Jesus find when he checks on the disciples? What does Jesus tell them?
- How does this text teach us about the need for prayer today?

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