youth movement
By ZEKE McPherson
JESUS
often withdrew. We
see this in Scripture;
He withdrew from crowds, from
His family, and even from His disciples
to pray and spend time with
the Father. Of course, Jesus did
this as a model for us and how we
are to commune with God: often
and in solitude. One key instance
of this silence and solitude in the
life of Jesus is especially thoughtprovoking
to me, however,
because it involves His disciples.
When Jesus goes to pray in the
garden of Gethsemane in
Matthew 26, Peter, James, and
John were with Him. Jesus
instructed them to sit nearby while
He went on to pray. “Stay here and
keep watch with me…”
Three times Jesus goes to pray
and returns to find His disciples
sleeping. The disciples had one job!
Stay and keep watch with Jesus,
and they failed. We often laugh at
them or poke fun, but recently, I
saw my spirit portrayed in this
story.
I am a disciple of Jesus. I proclaim
to follow closely in Jesus’
way of life. I am there in moments
of outreach, and I strive to minister
to those who are disciples as
well. Often, however, I seem to
neglect this very simple, intimate
command from Jesus to His closest
disciples: “stay here and keep
watch with me.”
Ask me if I pray, and I have evidence
of pouring over the Lord’s
Prayer from Matthew 6, and I
often intercede for my brothers
and sisters and my wife and children.
But I am just no good at
staying and keeping watch. For
one thing, it takes a lot of discipline
to be able to simply sit and
wait on the Lord when He asks me
to. I have so much else going on
and I find myself often overwhelmed
with the more productive
routines that I have to perform
to see real growth happen in
my ministry. For another thing, I
am so busy hour-to-hour that
when I get a few minutes of free
time, even if the Lord is calling me
to stay, my weariness gives way to
exhaustion sleep. The kind of sleep
that makes me drowsy, even on
the hardwood floor or in a folding
chair.
Then Jesus refreshes the command,
“Couldn’t you watch with
me even one hour? Keep watch
and pray, so that you will not give
in to temptation. For the spirit is
willing, but the body is weak”
(Matthew 26:40-41, NLT).
Although I am gut checked by this
remark, I still find myself too tired
to respond.
The point in my walk with the
Lord is this: there is spiritual depth
and character that comes from
sitting in the silence with Jesus.
There is strength against temptation.
There is intimate relationship
with Savior Friend and Creator
Father. There are all too many disciples
and teachers who can talk
about God and Jesus with such
detail and excitement, but their
personal relationship with Jesus in
silence and solitude is purely clinical.
Efficient. Coldly detached. And
of these men and women, I am the
worst.
Resolving this gory internal
struggle is a challenge, first to
myself then to you. How can I halt
part of each day to, even for just a
small amount of time, stay and
keep watch with Jesus, pray with
the Holy Spirit, and allow Jesus to
speak to me? This practice is life
and strength to the disciple of
Jesus, and one I need to improve.
Lord, empower me to seek You
and sit with You like never before
in 2020 and beyond. CMA
Zeke and Samantha McPherson
serve CMA as Youth Movement
National Evangelist.
25⎪JUNE 2020⎪www.cmausa.org