“Taken by surprise” triggers a mental picture of shock and alarm. This idiom means to be unprepared or not ready. Being unsure or unaware of circumstances leads to vulnerability, resulting in uncontrolled reactions. Nobody wants to be caught off guard, but most likely it’s happened to all of us.
Peter encountered such a moment in the Garden of Gethsemane. From a distance he had followed the soldiers who had arrested Jesus. As they led Jesus away into the house of the high priest, Peter positioned himself close to a fire in the courtyard. The people nearby recognized him, promptly questioning him about his relationship to Jesus. After several inquiries, his temper flared and he denied even knowing Him. The tension surrounding Jesus’ arrest definitely exposed Peter’s weakness.
Earlier Peter had been with Jesus, James, and John in the garden. Clearly Jesus was troubled and had asked His disciples to keep watch with Him. Moving a short distance away from them, Jesus had fallen to the ground and prayed. He later returned to them and found them sleeping. Three times He prayed. Three times they slept. “Could you not keep watch with me for one hour, watch and pray so that you will not fall into temptation? The spirit is willing, but the body is weak.” said Jesus (Matthew 26:36-41).
Jesus knew what was about to take place. He longed for his disciples to be vigilant in prayer and strengthened by their Heavenly Father. Having failed to watch and pray, they were surprised by an army of people who arrested Jesus. They were completely unprepared for the difficulties that they eventually encountered.
People of ancient cultures knew the importance of being watchful. Many of them, including Israel, had enemies. Watchmen were to stand vigilant at their posts on Jerusalem’s border walls to prevent the townspeople from being caught unaware by unwelcome outsiders. If they got distracted or fell asleep, the inhabitants within the walls were in danger of attack. If they devoutly kept watch, the townsfolk inside were shielded from harm.
As Israel began assimilating with other cultures, they began putting less faith in the One True God. Did a decease in faith cause a decline in watchful prayer? Israel’s indifference for the faith of their fathers left them vulnerable to outsiders, leading to an invasion by the Babylonians. The invaders attacked and assaulted Jerusalem, breaking down walls and taking Israelites captive. Where were the watchman? Had they fallen asleep?
After years of captivity, the Israelites returned to Jerusalem, led by Nehemiah, to rebuild the walls and the temple. As they began working, they were threatened by people attempting to prevent the rebuilding. The laborers were so afraid that they wanted to quit. But Nehemiah prayed and posted a guard day and night to keep a look out, especially over the exposed lowest places of the wall. Nehemiah said to the laborers……
““Don’t be afraid of them,” he urged. “Remember the Lord, who is great and awesome,
and fight for your brothers, your sons and your daughters, your wives and your homes”
(Nehemiah 4:14).”
The image of watchmen or military police is what I envisioned when God birthed in me the idea of mothers gathering together to pray for prodigals. Living with the agony of a broken relationship with my daughter, I yearned for her return. While I agonized over our estrangement, God opened my eyes to other families dealing with relationship woes. I realized we needed to support one another through our struggles and together fight for our families. I could hear Jesus saying, “Watch and pray.”
These Biblical accounts of watching and praying inspired me to form a prayer group—Mothers for Prodigals—to take our concerns to Almighty God. We believed God would strengthen us while we encouraged one another. Our bond of fellowship grew as we prayed for each other and our children. We watched for God to work within our families.
Nehemiah understood the importance of cautiously confronting circumstances. Jesus knew the seriousness of being awake and alert. And Peter learned the significance of being watchful.
“Peter later writes,
“Be of sober spirit, be on the alert.
Your adversary, the devil, prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour. But resist him, firm in your faith, knowing that the same experiences of suffering are being accomplished by your brethren who are in the world”
(1 Peter 5:8-9).”
We live in a world full of people who need our prayers. Distractions, drowsiness, and delusions draw them away from our Creator, the God of Truth. Those of us who believe in the name of Jesus are called to be the watchmen on the walls, to pray for them. We must be eagle-eyed watchmen, not heavy-eyed guards.
So watch and pray. Don’t be taken by surprise or fall into temptation. Protect any exposed areas over your families with the covering of prayer. And trust God to take care of you and your children as He works to bring His people back to Him.
