Something in the Holy Week chapters in the Bible has stuck to me this week.

It’s Jesus’ question to the disciples when He found them sleeping in Gethsemane, “Couldn’t you men keep watch with me for one hour?”

Maybe you read this blog pretty regularly, and you know about my personal prayer for 2022, steadfastness.

What I really long for is to learn steadfastness, to stay in a moment WITH God, instead of turning to what’s easier, what entertains, what feels better to my flesh.

“Can’t you stick it out with me a single hour?” says the Message translation. I’ve been challenged the past year or so with what makes me sleepy. Social media is one of those things. How much entertainment and content I consume is another. A too-full-maxed-out-schedule is another. John Mark Comer writes, “Attention is the beginning of devotion.” C.S. Lewis wrote, “The world is crowded with him… The real labour of life is to remember, to attend. In fact, to come awake. Still more, to remain awake.”

Staying awake to Jesus, through every moment, to the end. Staying awake to life, both the sorrow and the joy. Staying awake to eternal realities. Sometimes it’s hard. Or uncomfortable. Or overwhelming. It takes intention and sacrifice and effort. But it’s worth it.

Jesus knew Peter would fail; yet He encouraged him to victory, knowing that the resources were found in watching and praying. If Peter woke up (both physically and spiritually), and drew close in dependence on God, he could have kept from denying Jesus at the critical hour (EnduringWord.com).

John Ortberg wrote, “For most of us, the great danger is not that we will renounce our faith. It is that we will become so distracted and rushed and preoccupied that we will settle for a mediocre version of it. We will just skim our lives instead of actually living them.”

May we be followers of Jesus who (albiet imperfectly) diligently remain awake to Him.