Have you ever heard the story of The Honest Thief? It is a short suspense that tells of a master banana farmer who managed to grow a spectacular bunch of bananas, amounting to several hands more than usual. The suspense arrives when his rival threatened, or should I say promised, to steal the entire bunch of bananas one particular day, within a short window of time. Of course, this farmer made a vigil, armed with his coffee, lantern, and shotgun, as he waylaid the thief.
That is the image – of an armed and vigilant farmer – that comes to mind when I think about watchful prayer. Consider Today’s Holy Nougat.
Colossians 4:2 NIV
[2] Devote yourselves to prayer, being watchful and thankful.
Steadfast, Watchful Prayer
How do I pray? And, how often do I pray? These are questions we ought to ask ourselves after reading our Nougat. As we answer these questions for ourselves, it may also be worth viewing this text from other translations. Some versions actually tell us to keep our eyes open as we remain steadfast in prayer.
This is in complete opposition to what I was taught about prayer as a child in school. Then, they insisted on hands clasped, eyes closed as the foolproof prayer posture formula for children. And, if we were at home, or even in some churches, kneeling was the next natural step. My theory is closed eyes were intended to reduce visible distractions; clasped hands suggested that we were petitioning God, and bended knees (or lying prostrate on the ground) indicated our subordination to God.
Yet Paul’s encouragement doesn’t include those postures. Rather, he focuses on open eyes or being watchful while praying. For me, it is an intentional guardedness or alertness, like the farmer protecting his prized bunch of bananas.
Point to Ponder
What is most important in prayer, the physical or mental posture?
Application
It is worth noting that watchful prayer is a relatively common theme in the Bible, appearing in the Gospels, the Epistles, and in Revelation. Y’shua Jesus seems to have originated the practice and is quoted in Matthew 26, as having used the phrase to chastise His disciples in the Garden in the night of His betrayal. Isn’t it ironic that they were called to be watchful then so that they wouldn’t fall into temptation? It seems then that the more important posture is that of our hearts, as we remain steadfastly focused on Christ.
Watchfulness can be multifaceted. It involves our eyes watching God, our eyes watching the current events in the world, our eyes focused on the spiritual realm, our eyes watching (for) the future, and our eyes watching ourselves. While I won’t describe each in detail, I offer brief thoughts…
Watching God: speaks to our desire to place our focus on God and God’s plan for our lives. If we pray to God as our Sovereign, then it’s reasonable that we seek God’s will in our lives. It’s not only about the two-way communication, where we speak and listen for God to respond, but it involves us looking to see how God fulfilled what God promised in time past, and looking forward to how God will fulfil our requests.
Watching Current Events: is crucial as we read God’s Word to make sense of all that unfolds around us. As we watch current events, we gain insights for prayer, praying into and over situations. Again, we watch to see how it is fulfilled, listening for further direction from God.
Focusing on the Spiritual Realm: is part of what we say in the Lord’s Prayer. ‘Your will be done … as it is in Heaven’, implies an awareness of the spiritual realm, where God’s will is enforced. For it is only when we know what happens in Heaven (i.e., in the spiritual realm) that we can determine whether God’s will is being effected similarly on earth. Especially since we humans are prone to doing other things against God’s will.
Watching the Future: is important for us who look to Heaven as our future home. Not only do we read Scripture with a desire to understand our time here on the present, but we also seek to pray with the future in mind … for the world, for others, for ourselves.
Watching Ourselves: if we are to watch and pray lest we fall into temptation, then we need to also watch ourselves. When tempted, we can then pray for strength. When lost, we pray for direction. When we falter, we pray for forgiveness. When lonely, we pray for companionship. When unsure, we pray for guidance. When nervous, we pray for calm. When unsettled, we pray for peace. When fearful, we pray for courage. And the list goes on. It is evident that all the requests mentioned require an awareness of self, so we know how to pray.
Of course, we also pray for others around us. This may include watchfulness, but it can also result from requests being shared with us. Ultimately, watchfulness in prayer involves conscious and intentional awareness of what is happening in our sphere of influence and responding by conversing with God.
Self-Check
How watchful are we in prayer?
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May all we seek be found in Christ
