“Then He came to the disciples and found them sleeping, and said to Peter, “What! Could you not watch with Me one hour? Watch and pray, lest you enter into temptation. The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak.” (Matthew 26:40-41, NKJV).
Personal revival is cultivated and fostered by consistent commitment to personal prayers. Jesus had invited Peter, James and john to watch with Him in prayer as He faced His imminent arrest and crucifixion. However, the three of them could not spend any reasonable moment with Him in prayer due to the weakness of the flesh. More worrisome to Christ was Peter’s inability to support Him in prayer, not even for one hour. Recall that only a short while earlier, as they ate the last supper, Peter had openly boasted that He would stand with Christ all the way no matter what happens. In his word: “Even if I have to die with You, I will not deny You!” And so said all the disciples” (Matthew 26:35). Obviously, praying with Christ before His trials and brutal death on the Cross was the easiest part of His suffering, yet Peter could not hold his ground but rather succumbed to sleep. No wonder he fell like a pack of cards and denied that He ever knew Christ. Jesus recommended watching in prayer as a means of strength to stand and overcome temptations. Because Peter could not pray with Christ for an hour, he became an easy prey to the tempter and vehemently denied his Master.
Watch and pray, lest you enter into temptation.
Personal revival demands personal commitment to prayer. Investing one hour a day in prayer may be a tall order for many people today, but it is about the minimum that may be required for those who are serious about cultivating personal revival. A prayerless revival is an impossible construct. Everywhere there was revival, there were always people who laboured in prayers for it. Our Lord, intimating on how to cultivate revival told His disciples to tarry in the city of Jerusalem until they had received enduement of power from on high. The way the disciples understood and interpreted our Lord’s command “to tarry” in Jerusalem was to “continue with one accord in prayer and supplication.” They remained steadfast in prayer for ten days until the Lord released the wind of revival on them. “And suddenly there came a sound from heaven, as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled the whole house where they were sitting. Then there appeared to them divided tongues, as of fire, and one sat upon each of them. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance” (Acts 2:2-4). What a cloud-bursting revival that ensued in answer to prayers! Investing one hour in prayers daily is a foolproof way to revival, whether personal or corporate.
Committing one hour every day in prayer will not only always keep you in revival mood but will also help you to create a routine of prayers in your life. For revival seekers, prayer is not a happenstance but a habit. Revival is happening when a person or a group of persons become so habituated to prayer that praying assumes a definite rhythm in their lives. It was so among the early disciples, so they had what they called hours of prayers. It was during such an hour of prayer that they healed the crippled by the gate of the temple called beautiful, a miracle that gave a definite boost to the raging revival (Acts 3:1). Creating a fixed hour of prayer will certainly be a boost to your quest for a personal revival. Look through your daily schedules and find the best time you can have an uninterrupted one hour to spend in prayer. For some it is early in the morning as soon as they wake from sleep. For others, it is last thing at night when they are about to go to bed. For still others, it is somewhere between bedtime and daybreak. Some find praying at midnight very helpful, anytime is good provided you utilize the time fully in an interrupted prayer session. Prayerfully schedule your hour of prayer and expect the reviving wind of the Spirit in Jesus name.
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