Prayer prepares us to overcome temptation. In the Garden of Gethsemane, Jesus called his disciples to pray not for him but for themselves. They would soon face the chance to acknowledge Jesus or deny him. Would they run and hide or would they stand by his side? They fell asleep in prayer and they failed in the time of temptation.
One of my mentors confessed that sometimes praying early in the morning he fell asleep. Something about closing our eyes has that effect on us. Have you heard the poem:
My pastor's eyes, I've never seen
Though light from them may shine,
For when he prays, he closes his
And when he preaches, mine.
If we follow Jesus’ pattern we will always be in an attitude of prayer. He sometimes set aside time early in the morning and late at night to pray. In fact, he spent that whole last night in prayer. By the time the soldiers came to take him away, he had already aligned his will with the will of his father. This is the purpose of prayer: alignment. What did Jesus pray in the garden? “Not my will but yours be done.” Our prayers may start almost anywhere, but they must end in surrender to God’s good, pleasing and perfect will. Today or tomorrow you will face some temptation. Get ready now. Pray!
