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Watch and Pray


But of that day and that hour knoweth no man, no, not the angels which are in heaven, neither the Son, but the Father. Take ye heed, watch and pray: for ye know not when the time is. Mark 13:32-33

           No one knows the day nor the time. In a moment's notice, the Lord could very well return. At the time you are reading this, are you ready? If you have obeyed the Gospel, that is great; there is nothing like the assurance that we have fought the good fight and remained faithful unto death, quenching fiery darts of the devil (cf. 2 Tim 4:7; Rev. 2:10; Eph. 6:16). There are so many things that we can do to be ready: we can study, we can sing, and we can teach others. But, Jesus reminds us of two other critical elements of our preparation for the coming of the Lord. Take ye heed, watch and pray.

           Watching carries the idea of anticipation. God desires that we will watch and wait on the Lord, anticipating His coming and always on the ready. The second part of this command is to pray. While we watch, we can certainly be better prepared with constant communication with our Father. He loves us and desires to hear from us, not just when we feel like we need Him.

These instructions would prove themselves to be critical, not only to all future Christians, but, to the disciples who heard it first. We cannot forget the account of Jesus' prayer in the garden of Gethsemane right before He was handed over. These very same disciples were asleep when Jesus had instructed them to wait on Him (cf. Mark 14:37-42). Brethren, may we always be ready on watch, prayerfully anticipating the coming of the great day of the Lord.
Grace and Peace,
Ryan

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