36 Be always on the watch, and pray that you may be able to escape all that is about to happen, and that you may be able to stand before the Son of Man."
Jesus’ words warn us that we are to pray to stand. I am reminded of Paul’s words to us in Romans:
To his own master he stands or falls. And he will stand, for the Lord is able to make him stand. Romans 14:4 (NIV)
Psalm one tells us also that the wicked will not be among those who will stand in the judgment:
5 Therefore the wicked will not stand in the judgment, nor sinners in the assembly of the righteous. Psalms 1:5 (NIV)
“On the basis of the contrast between the godly and the wicked, the psalmist wrote that God will separate the righteous from the wicked in the judgment. The righteous are those who are related by covenant with the Lord, who live by His Word, who produce things of eternal value. God will divide the righteous and sinners as a man separates wheat from tares.” Bible Knowledge Commentary
The behavior of those with a focus on the “joy set before them” should be that of watchfulness and prayer. Watching and praying must go together. We are to watch against falling into sin and we are to be watching for duty - diligently maintaining our communion with God in prayer. I am reminded of our Lord’s warning to His disciples in the Garden of Gethsemane:
40 Then he returned to his disciples and found them sleeping. "Could you men not keep watch with me for one hour?" he asked Peter. 41 "Watch and pray so that you will not fall into temptation. The spirit is willing, but the body is weak." Matt 26:40-41 (NIV)
Isn’t it interesting that Mark tells us Jesus’ enemies were wakeful and watchful enough to find and arrest Him yet His own disciples were too weak, dull and sleepy that they could not keep their eyes open in fervent prayer for one hour?
42 Rise! Let us go! Here comes my betrayer!" 43 Just as he was speaking, Judas, one of the Twelve, appeared. With him was a crowd armed with swords and clubs, sent from the chief priests, the teachers of the law, and the elders. Mark 14:42-43 (NIV)
Throughout Scripture God clearly teaches dependence on Him for our power and strength. The world teaches, applauds and greatly admires independence and self-sufficiency yet our self-sufficient ways dishonor God. God delights in circumstances that are humanly impossible because they set the stage for His power to shine forth. Story after story in Scripture confirms this. Sarah past child bearing age bears a child; military leaders like Gideon told to decrease their army size to show that the victory was won by God and not man; young David fighting against the giant Goliath, killing him with merely a stone and the hand of God; the parting and closing of the Red Sea protecting the Israelites from the pursuing Egyptians – our weaknesses set the stage for demonstrating God’s strength. Our futility is an open door for His capability.
“When a man has not strength, if he leans on God, he becomes powerful.” D.L. Moody
Paul tells us in all of his tribulations which, by the way, make many of ours pale by comparison - his power was found in his weakness:
9 But he said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness." Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ's power may rest on me. 10 That is why, for Christ's sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong. 2 Cor 12:8-10 (NIV)
“Jesus is the One who shows us the paradoxical route to meaning in a chaotic and hostile world. It’s the paradox of the gospel: Strength is found in weakness. Control is found in dependency. Power is found in surrender...God uses the frustrations of this life and the hurt of relationships to compel us to look beyond what we can control to the God who controls all things in order to woo us to himself. As we move from control to surrender, we move from chasing the wind under the sun to embracing God above it.” Dan Allender, Breaking the Idols of You
Jesus turned the world’s thinking upside down – His achieving power made perfect in our weakness, His control discovered in our dependency and surrender. Why is it that flesh fights so hard against this gift?
"Let us work as if success depended upon ourselves alone, but with heartfelt conviction that we are doing nothing, and God everything." St. Ignatius Loyola
“Our extremities are the Lord’s opportunities.” Spurgeon
“When we can do nothing Jesus can do all things; let us enlist His powerful aid upon our side, and all will be well.” Charles Spurgeon