The Lord calls us to be alert and watch. “The Jews, Greeks, and Romans divided the night into military watches instead of hours, each watch representing the period for which sentinels remained on duty.”1
- First watch – sunset to 9 pm
- Second watch – 9 pm-12 midnight
- Third watch – 12 midnight – 3 am
- Fourth watch – 3 am to sunrise2
Jesus sets the example for us as He prayed in the garden of Gethsemane, He asked His Father to let the cup of crucifixion pass away from Him, but then His heart submitted to God – not my will but Yours be done.
“He came to the disciples and found them sleeping, and said to Peter, ‘What, couldn’t you watch with me for one hour? Watch and pray, that you don’t enter into temptation. The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak.’’ ~Matthew 26:40-41 WEB
We can follow the Lord’s example by praying for His will to be done on earth as it is in heaven. Most of us are not facing a trial as severe as crucifixion, but whatever trial we are facing, the Lord calls us to come to Him and seek His will in prayer. His response is to draw near to us, comforting us, giving us His wisdom and His peace.
Jesus encourages us to keep awake, watch and pray. Jesus gives several examples that strongly urge us to be alert and watch for His return.
“Be dressed and ready for active service, and keep your lamps continuously burning. Be like men who are waiting for their master when he returns from the wedding feast, so that when he comes and knocks they may immediately open the door for him.”
“Blessed (happy, prosperous, to be admired) are those servants whom the master finds awake and watching when he arrives. I assure you and most solemnly say to you, he will prepare himself to serve, and will have them recline at the table, and will come and wait on them. Whether he comes in the second watch (before midnight), or even in the third (after midnight), and finds them so [prepared and ready], blessed are those servants.”
“But be sure of this, that if the head of the house had known at what time the thief was coming, he [would have been awake and alert, and] would not have allowed his house to be broken into. You too, be continually ready; because the Son of Man is coming at an hour that you do not expect.” ~Luke 12:35-40 AMP
Jesus encourages us to persevere through every trial. He states being in His Presence will be worth it if we endure to the end.
“Then He [Jesus] told them, Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. Keep awake then and watch at all times [be discreet, attentive, and ready], praying that you may have the full strength and ability and be accounted worthy to escape all these things [taken together] that will take place, and to stand in the presence of the Son of Man.” ~Luke 21:10, 36 AMPC
In The Blessing, Kari Jobe sings a prayer from Numbers 6, “The Lord bless you, and keep you; the Lord make His face shine on you, and be gracious to you; the Lord lift up His countenance on you, and give you peace.”3
Recommendations
Celebrating Milestones Makes for a Better Life – Strength with Dignity
Important: You Need to Decide Your True North – Strength with Dignity
References
1 Watches of Night. Published by Smith’s Bible Dictionary. Retrieve August 3, 2023, from Watches of night – Smith’s Bible Dictionary – Bible Dictionary (christianity.com)
2 Marotta, Krisan. Jewish Day (1st Century) Explained. Published by Wednesday in the Word on May 10, 2021. Retrieved on August 3, 2023, from Jewish Day (1st Century) explained — Wednesday in the Word
3 Numbers 6:24-26 NASB
Amplified Bible (AMP) Copyright 2015 by The Lockman Foundation, La Habra, CA 90631.
Amplified Bible, Classis Edition (AMPC) Copyright 1954, 1958, 1962, 1964, 1965, 1987 by The Lockman Foundation.
New American Standard Bible 1995 (NASB 1995), copyright 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation.
World English Bible (WEB) by Public Domain. The name “World English Bible” is trademarked.
Bible Gateway Blogger Grid Member #bgbg2 #BibleGateway
Every Friday, I join an online Christian writing community, Five Minute Friday. The prompt this week is watch.
21 thoughts on “Watch and Pray”
‘Come on, dudes, please watch and pray,
’cause this night could get really tough,
and I need y’all to stay,
’cause I might not have strength enough.’
And then He left to talk with Dad,
to maybe somehow be inspired,
and while the guys weren’t really bad
they had surely got so tired
that maybe they could just get by
with a tiny little doze,
but my oh my oh my oh my,
just Who came up, do you suppose
to see them snoozing on the grass
and put a sandal up each a**?
It is amazing how much love and patience He has with us, Andrew!
Thanks for sharing the song. I have heard it before, but it bears hearing it again and again. Rejoicing! Wayne
It’s a great song of prayer and blessing, Wayne!
I always wondered about the times of the first, second, third and fourth watches were. Thank you for sharing those. The Blessing is one of my favorite worships songs. It is so powerful!
The Blessing is such a powerful song, Lori!
Thank-you for sharing the meaning of the 4 watches–more insight into the text and culture.
It is interesting to learn of the four watches, Carol!
Yes. May we watch for Him and with Him. Thank you 🙏
#9 Lisa
Watching for Him and with Him brings such comfort, hope and peace, Lisa.
I love that musical setting of the Aaronic blessing. So simple, but so beautiful. May the Lord find us watching. Visiting from FMF#5
The Blessing is simple, beautiful, and powerful, Kym!
That verse was the first thought that popped into my mind when I saw the prompt, but not what I wound up writing about.
The watch and pray Bible verses went in a different direction than I imagined they would go, Sandra.
Lisa, I so appreciated reading this post today. Earlier this morning I read Psalm 130. I was so struck by verse 6: “My soul waits for the Lord More than the watchmen for the morning; Indeed, more than the watchmen for the morning” (NASB). We are to wait and watch. We wait and watch for what He will do. Our position is to humble ourselves before Him, to pray, to ask for His help. And then … we wait and watch. We follow Jesus’ example. Thank you so much – I love when God confirms His Word! Blessings to you today!
Psalm 130 brings such encouragement to our spirits and our souls, Joanna. Thank you for sharing your early morning reading with me.
Lisa, I’m so glad Jesus gave us the example of praying “not my will but yours be done.” Maybe more than anything else, those seven words have helped me hold my desires and dreams loosely and trust that God will fulfill His plans for me and everyone else. The verses about “watch and pray” remind me of what my dad used to say about Christ’s return … that how it’s all going to happen is up for interpretation, but the one thing we do know is that Jesus is coming back and we need to be ready.
Jesus set a wonderful example for us to trust, obey, and bend our will to a loving and faithful Father. Your dad sounds like a man of wisdom, Lois.
Hubby & I were discussing the exodus of the Hebrews from Egypt, just this morning, with what the Lord had told them to do in being clothed the night of the Passover. He kept His promise then & will again! May we be clothed in His grace & be ready when He comes again;
“You too, be continually ready; because the Son of Man is coming at an hour that you do not expect.”
Visiting from Joanne’s table today where we’re sitting having a cuppa together 😉
Blessings, Jennifer
He is Faithful, Jennifer! I’m so thankful we can trust Him! Thanks for stopping by for a little visit, it was a pleasure!
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