14 April, 2022
Then saith he unto them, My soul is exceeding sorrowful, even unto death: tarry ye here, and watch with me. – Matthew 26:38
Almighty God, you are a God of absolute Steadfastness, Faithfulness and Holy Righteousness. Your plan to grant mankind salvation shows the extent of your unfailing love for your creation. When Jesus and his disciples arrived at the garden of Gethsemane, just before his bitter passion, he went from them a stone’s throw distance and he fell to his knees in prayerful agony. His hour was about to begin and his posture was one of lying down with his face to the ground in impassioned and forlorn prayer.
Father, in your tryst with human life, you went through the throes of utter dejection, loneliness, rejection and total abandonment as Jesus the Son of Man struggled to compose himself before his agony of torture and crucifixion. He was so overwhelmed with sorrow to the point of death, that he sweated blood. The intensity of the moment was so great that he begged for prayer support, from his disciples, beseeching them to keep watch with him and was sorely distressed to find them sound asleep.
Lord God, help us to stay awake and watch with Jesus in prayerful vigil, to keep temptation away. May we join in fervent prayer and cries of supplication, and may we have strong bonds of love, support and fellowship with our brethren to make suffering tolerable and bearable. Help us to offer sturdy comfort in emotionally traumatic times, to make lighter the burdens of our suffering brothers in Christ and to watch and pray to drive evil away, in Jesus’ Name. Amen
