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Staying Watchful in Prayer
Dec 12, 2020, but completed April 7, 2022
by Dan Li
When I came to the missions field about 15 years ago, the Lord gave me a sermon about prayer, a 2-part one about the need for prayer and the 2nd part was how God is worthy for our life to be a life of prayer, and a correlation made between Jesus whipping out the money-changers in the temple, to how now we are the temple of the Holy Spirit.
That’s still in me today and need to put it to action increasingly so, as Hebrews says, ‘We should take better care to do the words we hear from Jesus’ (Heb 2:1-3) – a seriousness about doing what we hear to do. God is pleased when we not only hear His voice and believe it, but when we do it (obey). May God give us grace to be doers of His word and not hearers only! (James 1:22-23).
Jesus taught His disciples to pray and gave the example of the Lord’s prayer. Jesus demonstrated this even more: He would go up to the mountain alone to pray all night long. Many times in the Bible records this happening.
Jesus taught further on prayer: do it secretly, by yourself where only God knows you are doing it. He says the Father will reward you openly. Same with fasting.
Jesus took Peter, James, and John to the garden to pray with Him, before the hour of difficulty was to come, so that they “would not enter into temptation”. Although they did not pray for the “just 1 hour” as Jesus had instructed them, they did learn a valuable lesson for the future by it – they had better pray!
We know that Paul teaches us, “to pray always”, and many have likened prayer to breathing, something you automatically do all the time with little conscious thought to do so. However, I believe this continuous prayer is subsequent to, or only follows naturally, if someone spends some dedicated time in prayer alone with God and without distraction – where one gets into the presence of God and spends time with Him.
The kind of prayer that Jesus taught was the dedicated kind, where one gets away with the Father for some protracted time. The term “just one hour” seems to mean, ‘at least one hour’, at a minimum to keep standing in a time, an hour, of darkness spiritually.
I don’t think we teach this nearly enough in church – I don’t think most churched Christians really know the importance of this. I wonder if many have a cavalier attitude towards the enemy – Jesus didn’t. He warned the disciples that an hour of trial, and hour of temptation was coming, and that they needed that – that one hour with the Father, so they would not enter into temptation. I think we put too much confidence in ourselves to keep standing in times like these, and then we find ourselves fallen flat on our face in the midst of great trial, trying to get hold of God during a dark time.
Consider Jeremiah prophesying the Words of the Lord:
“Hear ye, and give ear; be not proud: for the Lord has spoken. 16 Give glory to the Lord your God, before He cause darkness, and before your feet stumble upon the dark mountains, and, while ye look for light, He turn it into the shadow of death, and make it gross darkness. 17 But if ye will not hear it, my soul shall weep in secret places for your pride; and mine eye shall weep sore, and run down with tears, because the Lord’s flock is carried away captive.” (Jeremiah 13:15-17)
Consider Isaiah prophesying,
“Seek the Lord while He may be found, call upon Him while He is near: 7 Let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts: and let him return unto the Lord, and He will have mercy upon him; and to our God, for He will abundantly pardon. 8 For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the Lord.” (Isaiah 55:6-8)
Consider also David in Psalms speaking by the Holy Ghost, saying,
“I acknowledged my sin unto Thee, and mine iniquity I have not hid. I said, I will confess my transgressions unto the Lord; and Thou forgave the iniquity of my sin. Selah. For this shall every one that is godly pray unto Thee in a time when Thou may be found: surely in the floods of great waters they shall not come near unto him. 7 Thou art my hiding place; Thou shalt preserve me from trouble; Thou shalt compass me about with songs of deliverance. Selah. 8 “I will instruct thee and teach thee in the way which thou shalt go: I will guide thee with mine eye.” 9 “Be ye not as the horse, or as the mule, which have no understanding: whose mouth must be held in with bit and bridle, lest they come near unto thee.” 10 Many sorrows shall be to the wicked: but he that trusts in the Lord, mercy shall compass him about. 11 Be glad in the Lord, and rejoice, ye righteous: and shout for joy, all ye that are upright in heart.” (Psalms 32:5-10)
Consider that there must be preparation before any battle, to assure no surprise defeat- even in the natural world armies always training and preparing for war, in case it starts suddenly, so they won’t be unprepared.
Preparation involves 3 parts:
Part 1 is the training. “Train in godliness” (1 Tim 4:7-9), and sanctification by the Holy Ghost, He trains your heart. Scripture teaches us to pursue godliness and holiness. (1 Tim 6:11; 2 Tim 2:22; 1 Pet 3:9-12; Heb 12:14; 1 Thess 3:12-13)
Part 2 is “being watchful in prayer” is the spiritual term. In the natural this is called situational awareness, or battlefield awareness. God’s Word is teaching us vigilance, to be alert, to see, to not sleep and not get drunk on the world/sin.
“Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the Devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking whom to devour.” (1 Pet 5:8)
“Continue steadfastly in prayer, being watchful in it with thanksgiving.” (Col 4:2 ESV)
“Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints” (Eph 6:18 ESV)
“Be watchful, stand firm in the faith, act like men, be strong.” (1 Cor 16:13 ESV)
“Watch therefore: for ye know not what hour your Lord will come. 43 But know this, that if the goodman of the house had known in what watch the thief would come, he would have watched, and would not have suffered his house being broken up. 44 “Therefore be ye also ready: for in such an hour as ye think not the Son of man comes.” (Matt 24:42-44)
“And unto the angel of the church in Sardis write; “These things says He that has the seven Spirits of God, and the seven stars; I know thy works, that you have a name that you live, and are dead. Be watchful, and strengthen the things which remain, that are ready to die: for I have not found your works perfect before God. Remember therefore how you have received and heard, and hold fast, and repent. If therefore you shalt not watch, I will come on you as a thief, and you shalt not know what hour I will come upon you.”” (Rev 3:1-3)
Part 3 is the equipment, the armor of light, the sword of the Spirit, and it all comes through prayer. (Eph 6). The equipment is putting on Christ – and it comes through spending time with the Lord in prayer.
It is important to remember that Part 1 is done by the Holy Ghost (not by us) only, but that we are to pursue it (holiness, righteousness, godliness) in prayer. We are to pursue, or ask God for these things in prayer, not done by our own self nor by our own strength- it is done by God and by His power alone. Hebrews tells us to come boldly to the throne of Grace, boldly, having been washed by the blood of Jesus Christ, to ask for and obtain grace in times of need. (Heb 4:14-16; Heb 2:18)
