Introductory Thoughts
As the Lord’s crucifixion drew nigh, He took His disciples to Gethsemane to pray. He asked them to tarry and watch with Him as He separated from them to pray to the Father. Upon returning, He found the disciples asleep so He said to them, “Could ye not watch with me one hour?” The Lord went away two more times only to find His disciples asleep both times He returned. He had given His disciples a simple task to tarry, watch, and pray. He quickly saw that He could not depend upon them for support. It comes as no surprise that they would be scattered from Him shortly at His betrayal (Matthew 26:31, 56). These men were not strangers; they were the ones who sat at Christ’s feet for three years. Now, they could not be trusted for one hour to watch and pray.
Devotional Thoughts
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(For children): If someone asks you to do something and you agree to do it, always try to do the task as soon possible. If you wait, what will the person think if he has to ask you a second or a third time?
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(For everyone): Do you think the Lord knew His disciples were unreliable? If so, why did He ask them to watch and pray? Could He have been trying to teach them how much better it would be to obey the Lord and show themselves dependable?
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Do you think things would have been different if you had been one of the disciples? Could the Lord depend upon you during a crucial time? Can He depend upon you to pray to Him and witness to others?
Prayer Thoughts
- Ask the Lord to reveal to you how dependable you really are.
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Ask God to give you strength to mature and grow in this area and show yourself as dependable.
Song
FOOTPRINTS OF JESUS
