Luke 22:39 And he came out and went, as was his custom, to the Mount of Olives, and the disciples followed him. 40 And when he came to the place, he said to them, “Pray that you may not enter into temptation.” 41 And he withdrew from them about a stone's throw, and knelt down and prayed, 42 saying, “Father, if you are willing, remove this cup from me. Nevertheless, not my will, but yours, be done.” 43 And there appeared to him an angel from heaven, strengthening him. 44 And being in agony he prayed more earnestly; and his sweat became like great drops of blood falling down to the ground. 45 And when he rose from prayer, he came to the disciples and found them sleeping for sorrow, 46 and he said to them, “Why are you sleeping? Rise and pray that you may not enter into temptation.”
Jesus' disciples were used to His praying: regularly, passionately, differently than anything they had ever seen. This night was more extreme than ever: His wrestling with the Father was the most intense they had ever witnessed, and they knew there was more going on than they even saw or heard. What really sticks out, however, is what He says to them - not once, but twice: "Pray that YOU may not enter into temptation." What would our lives be like if we would take just that one line seriously in our regular prayers: "Lord, keep me from the power of temptation." In His response to their question on how to pray, he had given that as one of the line items to use regularly: "Lead us not into temptation." Do we care? Or are we walking blindly through life stumbling into temptation and giving in, because we do not take these instructions seriously?
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