One Hour With The Master!

                                             
ONE HOUR WITH THE MASTER 

    Then he returned to his disciples and found them sleeping. “Couldn’t you men keep watch with me for one hour?” he asked Peter. ⁴¹ “Watch and pray so that you will not fall into temptation. The spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak.”  
Matthew 26:36-41

I sit here wondering what it must have been like in the Garden of Gethsemane that night. Jesus is trusting three very close friends to watch and pray with him as his hour drew near. As he prayed, something strange happened; the very men that HE chose, fell asleep during the  watch! Can you imagine Jesus asking you to do something specific and when he checks to see if you are fulfilling his assignment for you, he finds you "sleeping?"
There is no doubt that they were tired because of the hour, however, this hour! was crucial! To the disciples, this was just another hour in a day; a day that they probably had spent ministering, and had no idea that Jesus would ask them to do such a thing! I mean, doesn't he know what time it is? For Jesus, however, this hour, was an hour of reckoning! One of the worst hours that he would spend on this Earth! At this hour, he would consult with his father, in sorrow, questioning his will for the necessity of drinking from this particular cup, that was set before him! at this hour, he would find out that this cup would not pass and the sovereign will of God must be accomplished! at this hour, he realized that, even those who he "called" to walk with him, could not be counted on to make such a sacrifice as watching and praying! at this hour, he would be delivered to a court where he would stand trial for the times that we have lied, and cheated, and failed to love our neighbor, and refused to forgive our brother; times when we should've been watching, but was sleeping; praying, but, we were too busy! complaining, instead of repenting....."Could you not watch with me for one hour?" pray with me, for one hour? worship me, for one hour? sacrifice for me, for one hour?
Jesus is calling us to be ready! both, in season, and out of season! whether at high noon or in the middle of the night to watch and pray! We have been given another opportunity to watch and pray! Another chance to praise his name! Another chance to trust and obey! Another chance to say thank you! 
He is coming back one day and we will stand in his presence and what I want to hear is! "well done, my child; you were faithful over a few things!" (even the hour I trusted you with!) and not, these words: "depart from me, I never knew you!" ....Wow! I sit here, now asking myself: "How can I want to spend an ETERNITY in Heaven; when I can't spend ONE HOUR WITH THE MASTER?"

Prayer for Today:
Lord, we thank you so much, for the sacrifice that you made on our behalf! And although we do realize, that we could never make a sacrifice such as the one that you made for us, we can sure spend a life time showing you, just how much we love and appreciate you! .....not an hour! but a lifetime!