Then after the sun went down, all went quiet. The TV was off. The Bibles were held in their laps and we knew to sit and be quiet while they read. Sometimes I got to read. Then it was time to scoot from sitting to kneeling before the Father in Heaven. Grandma began to pray, then it was my turn, then Grandpa finished. Many times before Grandpa finished praying I would fall asleep. So, “Sit here while I pray” has great meaning for me.

Mark 14, The Message
Gethsemane
32-34 They came to an area called Gethsemane. Jesus told his disciples, “Sit here while I pray.” He took Peter, James, and John with him. He plunged into a sinkhole of dreadful agony. He told them, “I feel bad enough right now to die. Stay here and keep vigil with me.”

35-36 Going a little ahead, he fell to the ground and prayed for a way out: “Papa, Father, you can—can’t you?—get me out of this. Take this cup away from me. But please, not what I want—what do you want?”

37-38 He came back and found them sound asleep. He said to Peter, “Simon, you went to sleep on me? Can’t you stick it out with me a single hour? Stay alert, be in prayer, so you don’t enter the danger zone without even knowing it. Don’t be naive. Part of you is eager, ready for anything in God; but another part is as lazy as an old dog sleeping by the fire.”

39-40 He then went back and prayed the same prayer. Returning, he again found them sound asleep. They simply couldn’t keep their eyes open, and they didn’t have a plausible excuse.

41-42 He came back a third time and said, “Are you going to sleep all night? No—you’ve slept long enough. Time’s up. The Son of Man is about to be betrayed into the hands of sinners. Get up. Let’s get going. My betrayer has arrived.”

Grandpa prayed and thank God for his day. He always prayed for his church. He also prayed for the struggles he was facing and asked for God’s will. He got this example to pray from our Savior who prayed, in agony, for God’s perfect will.

Jesus knew what was going to happen very soon. His heart was heavy…”He plunged into a sinkhole of dreadful agony.” His battle was with the devil, the fallen angel himself, who thought he was about to win by killing Jesus, the Son of God. Was it the battle that Jesus was agonizing over, or the people he would leave behind? Was it dreading the brutality He knew He would face? We don’t know exactly but we do know this. He prayed for God’s will…”But please, not what I want–what do YOU want?”

The disciples sleep through this agony that our Savior was going through, anesthetized by the whole situation, it seems. They could not stay awake. Do we do that..sleep through our troubles? Mm.

The embattled prayer ends. Jesus knows God’s will. His betrayer is coming with the soldiers. Jesus wakes up his followers and says, “Let’s get going.”

How many times does Jesus have to come and wake us from a deep sleep of denial?

Dear Heavenly Father, Wow. Your Words have so much meaning and significance for all of us going through the good stuff as well as the tough stuff of life. It all, at this moment, seems so terribly small as we read this. You went to hell and back for us, experiencing pain and brutality beyond our comprehension, all so that we would have You, have life eternal and peace for the journey now. Wow. There are not enough words to give you the gratitude, praise and honor due to You. I humbly bow before You. I will remember and meditate on Your words in Your prayer all day long. Be with us. Keep us awake! Keep us going.
In Jesus Name, Amen