Friendship to Go!

And He came to the disciples and found them sleeping and said to Peter, “So you men could not keep watch with Me for one hour?” (Matthew 26:40)

If there had been coffee shops during Jesus’ time, I’m convinced He would have taken one look at the sleepy faces of Peter, James, and John at Gethsemane and said, “Hey, you guys, I’m going to need your support in the next several hours. You look like you could use help holding your heads up. Let’s go to the Bohemian Bean in Jerusalem and order super-large caramel lattes with caffeine to go!”

Unfortunately, the disciples had no legal artificial stimulant to keep them awake. As a result, they fell asleep three times, even after Jesus implored them to stay awake. Thus, they lost valuable time with their best friend during the most difficult night of His life.

My tendency is to point at those men and ask, “How could you disappoint Jesus so?” Then I see three fingers pointing back at me and ask myself, ‘How many times have I disappointed Jesus?’

Now, wherever I am, morning or night, I talk to God, You see, He’s my best friend and I’ve failed him in the past, but He’s given me a second chance. Now we have a lot of lost time to make up for!

Prayer: God, You are patient with us beyond measure. You know we are weak and tired and don’t deserve Your patience or grace, but You extend them anyway. Give us wisdom to know when a circumstance needs our full attention for Your sake.