04/21/2026
The Wrong Time to Sleep Monday, April 20, 2026 Matthew 26:38-41, Then He said to them, “My soul is deeply grieved, to the point of death; remain here and keep watch with Me.” And He went a little beyond them, and fell on His face and prayed, saying, “My Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from Me; yet not as I will, but as You will.” And He came to the disciples and found them sleeping, and He said to Peter, “So, you men could not keep watch with Me for one hour? Keep watching and praying, so that you do not come into temptation; the spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak.”
In Gethsemane Jesus, knowing what was about to happen, asked His inner circle—Peter, James and John—to pray with Him. Instead, they went to sleep. Though they didn’t understand the full scope of events, Jesus had warned them of His impending arrest and crucifixion. He had also specifically warned Peter that Satan was seeking to bring him down. Yet rather than staying on guard, alert to what was happening around him, Peter slept. It is little wonder that when the moment of testing came, Peter failed. Rather than living up to his boast, he denied even knowing who Jesus was, let alone being one of His followers.
Every day we face the attacks of the enemy, and any day when we are not diligent to pray and be on guard, we will fail the test. George Whitefield said, “If we would therefore behave like good soldiers of Jesus Christ, we must be always on our guard, and never pretend to lay down our spiritual weapons of prayer and watching, till our warfare is ended by death; for if we do, our spiritual foe will quickly prevail against us. What if he has left us? It is only for a season; yet in a little while, and, like a roaring lion, with double fury, he will break out upon us again. Satan is such an evil enemy, that he seldom leaves us after the first attack. As he followed our blessed Lord with one temptation after another, so will he treat the Lord’s servants.”
Today's Growth Principle
Satan seeks to destroy us every day, so we cannot afford to let down our guard and go to sleep.