You have a friend facing a great trial. Life or death hangs in the balance. She’ll know shortly. She asks her friends to pray for/with her. But the threat doesn’t seem real to you. Somehow you just cannot work up the same level of concern as she. While she is sweating in anguish over what might happen to her in the next hours and days, you close your eyes to pray and … fall asleep. She wakes you. You try again. And again…you fall asleep. Some friend!
Jesus brought his three closest friends to a hillside garden across the valley from Jerusalem to pray with him. He knew that the events were building and that his final confrontation with the religious leaders was coming soon. He knew it wasn’t a game he was playing. It was for “keeps.” It was life or death. He had the dread we all face when we are about to undergo a trial and can’t really picture the outcome. We don’t know how bad the experience will be. He wanted support. He got…nothing. They went to sleep on him. They just didn’t feel that same sense of urgency that the one about to undergo the trial felt.
In the discipline of meditation, there is a state called “restful awareness.” You are resting, focusing your mind on God, yet you are aware of things around you. You hear sounds, feel presences. Your focus remains on God. In some traditions, masters watch their students. They may ring a gong. Some will be startled. They are the ones who are dozing instead of praying. It’s a lesson.
Prayer is a discipline. It requires training and practice. Earlier, the disciples asked Jesus how to pray. They noticed that he went often to a quiet place to pray. They wanted to emulate him. But in the hour of need, they went to sleep.
What about you? Can you sit in silent prayer, alone with God, for minutes, hours, without sleeping? Try it. Paul used the words of athletics when discussing spiritual training. Think in terms of the hours of practice that a star athlete puts in so that he can perform well on game day. Emulate that. Start practicing and training so that when your friend needs your support, you are a champion supporter.
Tags: Christianity, lifestyle, Prayer, spirit
Faith Venture 
Leave a comment