A Time to Sleep?

“Rising from his prayer, he (Jesus) went back to the disciples and found them asleep, worn out by their grief. He said to them, “Why are you sleeping? Get up and pray that you will not fall into temptation.” Luke 22:45

When I am feeling depressed, it is very easy for me to crawl into bed and take a nap. First, depression is exhausting and second, sleeping allows us to temporarily avoid dealing with our feelings. Even though sleeping will catapult us forward in time, the cause of the depression will still be there and the only thing we have accomplished is ignoring the feelings, not facing them. Some may argue that sleep is therapeutic and in many ways, I agree. However, as a chronic over sleeper/napper who often uses sleep as a coping tool, I also see it as a handicap.

Last Friday I was listening to a commentary on the passage in the Bible about Jesus praying at Gethsemane and was struck at how the disciples dealt with their grief by sleeping but Jesus dealt with his by praying. If you are unfamiliar with the passage, before Jesus was arrested he and his disciples went to the garden at the base of the Mount of Olives to pray. Jesus went off by himself to pray, telling the disciples to keep watch and “pray that you will not fall into temptation.” Luke 22:40. Jesus knelt down and prayed fervently to God, with every fiber of his being, knowing that his crucifixion was close at hand. God heard Jesus’ prayer and “an angel from heaven appeared to him and strengthened him.” Luke 22:43″ Conversely, although Jesus had told them to pray themselves, the disciples slept instead. After Jesus finished praying scripture says “Rising from his prayer, he went back to the disciples and found them asleep, worn out by their grief. He said to them, ‘Why are you sleeping? Get up and pray that you will not fall into temptation.” Luke 22:45-46.

The disciples sorrow was so great, they could not keep their eyes open. The burden they carried, knowing what they would soon be facing, was so heavy they were unable to deal with it and chose to sleep. Jesus’ sorrow was so great, he bowed down in prayer and literally prayed for his life. Jesus had received strength to face his fate, the disciples received only a very temporary escape from theirs.

When we are feeling overwhelmed, sad, discouraged or afraid we have a choice. We can go to sleep and not deal with the feelings or we can pray and be strengthened to face them head on. Pastor Steven J. Cole says “the trials we face can be either a test that strengthens us or a temptation that brings us down.” He goes on to say “Satan tries to use the trials we encounter to bring us down. God wants to use them to strengthen and establish us.” Whatever trial we are facing, we can choose to deal with it on our own or with God’s help. When we try to face trials on our own, we are often left unequipped and ready to fail, but when we face the trials with God, we will be made stronger and ready to win the battle. If Jesus himself needed to pray to God for help, then certainly, so must we.

Dear Heavenly Father, so often we are faced with trials and temptations that can be overwhelming. Our humanly desire is to run away from them and hide. But we know this doesn’t solve anything. Help us to, instead, be reminded to come to you in prayer, as Jesus did. We are so grateful for the strength you give. Thank you for sending us Jesus to show us a better way to live. We love you. Amen.