Prayer in Times of Temptation

Luke 22:40 "When He (Jesus) came to the place, He said to them, "Pray that you may not enter into temptation."


This verse finds Jesus in the garden of Gethsemane on the Mount of Olives the evening after Jesus and His disciples had their last supper. From the other gospels we know that Jesus went to a place to pray, taking only Peter, James and John with Him. If there ever was a time to pray this is it. Jesus is about to be arrested, tried, tortured and crucified. So, He goes to a quiet place to meet His Father for encouragement, instruction, and comfort, for He knows what would happen to Him the next three days. He is aware of the horrendous suffering He would have to endure and, worst of all, endure separation from God Himself. He would have to deny His God nature and carry the full weight of all sins of mankind upon His mutilated body. To find some comfort, not only does an angel come and minister to Him in this greatest hour of need, but He also takes His closest disciples, Peter, James and John, along with Him. He asks them to stay awake and pray "lest they enter into temptation."
On the surface one might assume that He was talking about the temptation to fall asleep, which, incidentally, did happen (three times!). But I believe that Jesus is addressing another temptation, one far more serious than missing the opportunity to pray for their Master in His time of need. Right before this section, we read that Jesus tells Peter that Satan has asked for Peter, to sift him like wheat. In verse 32 we get an insight into what Jesus believes is the greatest weapon against the enemy: prayer. Jesus says that "I have prayed for you, that your faith should not fail;..." Jesus' response to the enemy of our faith is prayer. If Jesus thought it was that important we should listen and do likewise in times of great trials and, even better, before they come. What is Jesus' greatest concern for us, the terrible temptation that we may enter into if we are not diligent in our prayers? That our faith should fail!
I cannot think of a worse place to be as a believer in Christ. That my faith should fail! What an awful thought! We know what would happen in the following hours and days and how all the disciples failed in various ways when their faiths were being tempted. But none were as sad a story as Peter's. He denied his Lord three times! He was ultimately restored to ministry in a powerful way, but I shudder to think what would have become of him had Jesus not prayed for him earlier. I pray that my faith will not fail when life throws various temptations my way. God knows I am not strong enough to withstand the clever tactics of the enemy and it is only by the grace of God that I am still walking with Him. What I can do, however, is to follow my Lord's advise and pray to the Lord of heaven and earth to strengthen my faith. The last place I ever want to find myself is denying my Savior, who went through so much pain to take my sins away. Peter gladly tells us that "the Lord knows how to deliver the godly out of temptations..." in 2 Peter 2:9. And he should know! 


Application
"Lord, grant me that understanding of the power of prayer, so that my faith may be strong and no temptation will ever shake it to the point of failure. I depend on Your strength to see me through the trials in my life, and my hope lies in You alone. In Jesus' name, Amen."