3月25日

標　　題： 致命關鍵時刻

經　　節： 總要警醒禱告，免得入了迷惑。你們心靈固然願意，肉體卻軟弱了。（馬可福音十四章38節）

有時候，你應當讓自己的心靈掌控肉體。你的心靈知道神要你做甚麼，你的肉體卻為了滿足自己而大聲抗議。即使有時疲憊不堪，我們也得放棄睡眠、振作起來，因為若在此時此刻休息，可是損失慘重。當神命令你「守望禱告」，你的順服是決定性的關鍵。

當耶穌在客西馬尼園祈禱的時候，祂知道將要達到自己整個事奉的高峰。祂知道地獄大軍正整軍待發，集中武力要擊敗祂。如果曾有一段時刻，耶穌需要門徒的禱告支撐祂，那就是這個時刻。耶穌告訴門徒，自己心裡甚是憂傷，幾乎要死。他們當然能夠感受到耶穌情詞急迫，他們也能夠查找力量順服祂的要求。然而，祂發現他們睡著了。沒有藉口！他們居然在人類歷史上最重要的一刻睡著了，而且不是一次，是三次！

耶穌邀請你與祂同工。祂可能要求你守望禱告一小時。你可能得克制自己肉體的需要與渴求，好與祂一同禱告。你可能必須離開溫暖的被窩或得離開家，甚至可能得犧牲自己的安全，好去耶穌要你去的地方。要讓聖靈掌管你肉體所有的渴求，如此一來，沒有任何人事物能阻礙你完成耶穌的託付。

A Fatal Moments

"Watch and pray, lest you enter into temptation. The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak." (Mark 14:38)

At times your spirit must demand supremacy over your flesh. Your spirit will know what your Lord wants you to do, but your flesh will cry out for its own fulfillment. There are times when sleep must be denied, even when you are exhausted, because it would be disastrous for you to rest at such a time. When the Lord commands you to “watch and pray,” it is crucial that you obey.

As Jesus prayed in the Garden of Gethsemane, He knew that the pinnacle of His ministry was quickly approaching. He was aware that the legions of hell were marshaling their forces to defeat Him. If there were ever a critical time for His closest friends to be undergirding Him in prayer, this was it. Jesus told them that He was deeply distressed, even to the point of death. Surely they could have sensed the intensity in His voice and the urgency of His demeanor, and surely they could have found the strength to obey His request. Yet He found them asleep. No excuses. They had fallen asleep at the most pivotal moment in human history, not once but three times!

Jesus asks you to join Him in what He is doing. He may ask you to watch and pray for an hour. You may have to deny your physical needs and desires in order to pray with Him. You may have to leave the comfort of your bed or your home. You may even have to sacrifice your safety in order to be where Jesus is. Seek to bring every physical desire under the control of the Holy Spirit so that nothing will impede your accomplishing what Jesus asks of you.