“7 The end of all things is near. Therefore be alert and of sober mind so that you may pray.” NIV

There’s nothing new about this, but whenever you find a ‘’Therefore’’ in the Bible, you need to look back to see what it’s there for. This ‘’Therefore’’ relates to the sentence we looked at yesterday:

‘’The end of all things is near.’’

 So the question before us is, ‘How should we live in the last days?’

The first answer is: ‘Prayerfully.’

Indeed, we need to clear the ground so that we can pray; deal with stuff; sweep away debris; unblock the well

Matthew Henry’s words are helpful regarding this text:

‘Those who would pray to purpose must watch unto prayer. They must watch over their own spirits, watch all fit opportunities, and do their duty in the best manner they can…The right ordering of the body is of great use to promote the good of the soul. When the appetites and inclinations of the body are restrained and governed by God’s word and true reason, and the interests of the body are submitted to the interests and necessities of the soul, then it is not the soul’s enemy, but its friend and helper.’

 ‘’Stay wide-awake in prayer’’ is how this is rendered in ‘The Message’.

Perhaps Peter was recalling how he and James and John went to sleep in the garden of Gethsemane when Jesus had asked them to stay awake with him in prayer (Mark 14:37-40). It has been suggested that it was perhaps because Peter failed to pray in the garden that he later fell into temptation and denied his Lord.

The 1960’s media theorist, Marshall McLuhan, himself a practicing Christian, once said that everyone he knew who lost their faith began by ceasing to pray.

Many people acknowledge that there is a certain kind of fatigue that seems to go hand-in-hand with this crisis season. There’s a creeping lethargy which can gradually have a suppressing and choking effect on the spirit. Like weeds, it could steadily take over the garden of your soul.In these days of great crisis, don’t let the devil rock you to sleep in his cradle.

How ought we to live in the last days? Prayerfully!

PRAYER: Lord, teach us to pray.