“Watch ye therefore: for ye know not when the master of the house cometh, at even, or at midnight, or at the cockcrowing or in the morning: Lest coming suddenly he find you sleeping. And what I say unto you I say unto all, Watch.” Mark 13:35-37
The warning of Jesus is to be diligent and watch. He is referring here to the close of probation, the time when there will be no more interceding on our behalf in the heavenly sanctuary before our Father. This time will come on the world unawares and if we are not watching, then we will be found wanting.
Jesus said, “Watch and pray.” Matthew 26:41. It is in the secret prayer, the quiet times spent alone with God, that God is able to communicate with you. “The Lord speaks, enter into your closet and in silence commune with your own heart. Listen to the voice of truth and conscience. Nothing will give such clear views of self as secret prayer.” Testimonies, vol. 5, 163. It is secret prayer that keeps a soul alive. Mrs. White says, “Family prayer, public prayer, have their place, but it is secret communion with God that sustains the soul life.” Education, 258.
Jesus understood the value in communicating with His Father, and we are told in the Scriptures that He got up a long time before morning and He went out into a solitary place and there He prayed, often spending long hours and sometimes nights in prayer.
In the book Steps to Christ, 98, we are told that we should pray in the family circle and above all we must not neglect secret prayer, for this is the life of the soul. God’s servant says in this little book, “It is impossible for the soul,” your soul and my soul, spiritually speaking, “to flourish while prayer is neglected.” Now what we are talking about here, contextually, is while you and I disregard or neglect secret communion with God it is impossible for us to live a Christian life. Impossible! And that’s the reason why we see so many good Christians slowly fall away, leave the church, leave the message. It has not much to do with years in the church; it has to do with our connection with Jesus, whether I am spending time with God in prayer, in communion with Him.
The issue of secret prayer carries a certain quality and purpose. The purpose is that God would reveal to me, myself, which is something that many of us do not want to discover, our true self. We live in an age of accolades. In other words, we live in a time when we only want to be patted on the shoulder, but do not want to be rebuked or to be corrected, so staying away from secret prayer allows us to truly misunderstand who we really are. God is struggling with us to bring us to the point where He can sit us down and say, look, you have this problem and you need to work on it. I am here to help you, and give you the power to overcome all of these problems. When our spouses or our relatives or when our friends or church members tell us that we have a certain problem, we become offended and we don’t want to hear. Maybe we think that it is because they don’t like us, or they are jealous of us. But God sits us down and God says, “Look, you may not want to hear what I’m saying, but I’m telling you, this is your problem. Work on it. I’m here to help you. I’m telling you this in love with no one else around.” You see, the Lord loves us so much that He wants to polish us, rub us down, use the hammer and the chisel to get the rough edges off us, so that we can make heaven our home. That is what the real issue is, but it will never happen until we get into our closets and pray. “It is impossible for the soul to flourish while prayer is neglected.” Family or public prayer alone is not sufficient. Did you get that? Not sufficient! Did you take time out, alone? Charlie Pride, who sang this song many years ago, “E’re you left your room this morning,”—I’m sure you know that song.—“Did you think to pray?”
There is a story of a Christian who got up out of bed and was so busy that he didn’t pray. The day was chaos, and as he retraced his steps he agreed that the reason why things went the way they did is because he just did not have time to pray. Satan is working to get us so busy with daily cares that we neglect secret prayer. Now, more than any human being, Satan knows the value of one on one communion with God. Therefore, what he does is put forth extra effort to devalue prayer in the life of the Christian. He makes us become so absorbed in worldly affairs that we neglect that special time with God.
He makes us become so absorbed in business transactions, educational pursuits, family life, money making—all at the expense of spending time with God in secret prayer. He makes us overwork ourselves. It amazes me sometimes when I see people come to church and they fall asleep. And I understand being tired, doing two, and sometimes three jobs, to barely hold on. Sometimes we become so tied up in the Lord’s work as ministers and Bible workers and elders and whatever our capacity may be in the work of the Lord, we become so absorbed, so busy doing the work of the Lord, that we neglect secret prayer, that time with God that is so critical.
The devil knows that in secret prayer we will see ourselves through God’s eye, our defects of character, our secret sins, and sins which do so easily beset us. The devil knows that. Satan knows that in secret prayer, the Christian will confess his or her sins and will receive strength to forsake them. Thus we’ll be in a state of constant watchfulness and readiness as we are reminded that “Satan well knows that all whom he can lead to neglect prayer and the searching of the scriptures will be overcome by his attacks.” Colporteur Ministry, 82. Satan not only just knows, but he well knows—my dear sister, my dear brother, young people, Satan knows who we are. He has been working on us for over 6,000 years—he knows who we are. He knows the material we are made of and what button to press to get us so mad, so angry, to fall away from the Lord, to give up. Satan well knows that his key is to get us to neglect prayer, because once you and I neglect prayer, we have no strength. There’s a statement that says, seven prayerless days makes one weak. Not w-e-e-k, but w-e-a-k.
The devil does not want you to hear this. He knows that if we neglect prayer, and the searching of the Scriptures, we’ll be overcome by his attacks. He knows that, so listen to what he does; “He invents every possible device to engross the mind.” Great Controversy, 519. And we have all kinds of excuses why we have no time to pray and have no time to study the word of God, why we have no time to commune with God. Let me ask you something. What is most important in your life? Is heaven on your mind? Then do you really think you’re going to get there just like that? “It will serve his [Satan’s] purpose well if we neglect the exercise of prayer. For then his lying wonders are more readily received.” Messages to Young People, 59.
“Neglect of prayer causes the Christian to become weak, to lose self control.” Don’t we see this happening? “To give rein to impure thoughts and impulses.” Pamphlet 066, 36.
“There is a mighty power in prayer. Our great adversary is constantly seeking to keep the troubled soul away from God.
“An appeal to heaven, by the humblest saint, is more to be dreaded by Satan than the decrees of cabinets or the mandates of kings.” The Signs of the Times, October 27, 1881.
When you and I, in trouble, fall on our knees, it doesn’t matter what the issues may be in our lives; when we fall on our knees and telephone glory and call upon our Lord for power, for deliverance, for strength, God regards it more than decisions of cabinet and earthly kings. Yes, more, and Satan dreads it, for he knows the power of secret communion with God.
Now, considering all that Satan is doing to keep us from a sweet communion with God, we should readily heed the following counsel: “Let no one in these days of peril neglect prayer.” Manuscript Releases, vol. 8, 403. Don’t neglect it! Jesus, while He was on earth, understood the value of secret prayer, and that it is the life of the soul, and He knew the effort of His enemy, Satan. Consequently, He placed secret prayer as the priority in His life; it became the bulwark against the devil, and that is precisely how Jesus won the victory—secret communion with His Father.
Ellen White tells us that a storm is coming. She says that pen cannot describe what is coming on God’s people. God’s people need to be prepared. Before Jesus went to the cross, He prepared Himself every day through private communion with His Father, and when that ultimate test came, He had self control. His body was kept under subjection so that even when He stood before Pilate, who was being motivated by Satan to cause Him to become irritated, He stood erect, completely self possessed. This control takes a constant connection with Jesus Christ. By beholding we become changed, and self is lost sight of. Let us pray that we may say, “I am completely lost to myself, and Jesus Christ and His wonderful character has been reproduced in me, so that under the most trying circumstances I can reflect my Lord.” It is coming, dear brothers and sisters. We must ask God to reveal any self—“Lord, I don’t want to be a surprise to anyone.”
The test is coming for all of us. We are so easily annoyed and we are so easily affected. One of the easiest statements that comes out of the mouth of Adventists today is, I’m going to leave the church—simply because something doesn’t go your way, or you are not satisfied about something. It is as if to say that being in the church you were doing God a favor, but the Christian who has been seeking the Lord and spending time with Jesus has learned to forget self, and has learned to endure hardship, as a good soldier. So whatever comes, let it come. You will only be kept as our Saviour was kept—by secret prayer.
There is a difference between public prayer and private or secret prayer. Often times when people are called upon to pray in public, their prayers are either very long or inappropriate. This action reflects a lack of secret prayer in the life of the individual, or a lack of understanding. Speaking concerning this matter, God’s servant states that prayers should be short and to the point, and that even angels are weary with long public prayers. When you are in your private devotion with God, you can spend one hour or you can spend two if you have the time. It is no problem with God.
“Tell the Lord just what you want without going all over the world. In private prayer all have the privilege of praying as long as they desire, and of being as explicit as they please. They can pray for all their relatives and friends. The closet is the place to tell all their private difficulties and trials, and temptations.” Testimonies, vol. 2, 578.
The worship service is not the place to talk to the Lord about Grandma and Auntie and cousin and the dog, and the cat, and to talk about the private issues that are affecting us in our lives. The closet is for that purpose. When we come together to worship and we are going to pray in public, we should address that which pertains to the worship. “A common meeting to worship God is not the place to open the privacies of the heart. What is the object of assembling together? Is it to inform God, to instruct Him by telling Him all we know in prayer?” Ibid.
Peter and the disciples’ experience illustrates how important it is to watch and pray. Upon entering Gethsemane Jesus counseled them to watch and pray. “At first they had been much troubled to see their Master, usually so calm and dignified, wrestling with a sorrow that was beyond comprehension. They had prayed as they heard the strong cries of the sufferer. They did not intend to forsake their Lord. But they seemed paralyzed by a stupor which they might have shaken off if they had continued pleading with God. They did not realize the necessity of watchfulness and earnest prayer in order to withstand the temptation.” The Desire of Ages, 688.
When Jesus said, watch with Me, just watch with Me. I’m going to go yonder to pray, but watch with Me, please. Now, that wasn’t too important to them. Their eyes were heavy. They fell asleep. Just before He bent His footsteps to the garden, Jesus said to the disciples, “All ye shall be offended because of Me this night.” Matthew 26:31. They had given Him the strongest assurance that they would go with Him to prison and to death. And poor self-sufficient Peter added, “Although all shall be offended, yet will not I.” Matthew 26:33. So even if the other disciples should turn their backs upon you, Lord, I am promising You, I will not leave You.
But the disciples trusted to themselves. They did not look to the mighty Helper as Christ had counseled them to do, and this problem of self-sufficiency in the church needs to go. We are no match for Satan and as long as we depend upon ourselves we will be defeated. Thus when the Savior was most in need of their sympathy and prayers, they were found asleep.
Are you sleeping? In your spiritual life, are you asleep? Even Peter was asleep, the one who promised that he would be with the Lord, no matter what. We may want to reflect and ponder the following questions. I ask you, and this is a question I ask myself, and I need you to ask yourself; Am I like Peter and the other disciples, trusting to myself? Am I unwilling to follow God’s counsels? Am I willing to know my true spiritual condition? Am I? Am I so engrossed in worldly affairs that I have no time for secret prayer? Do I truly love the time of prayer alone with my Savior, or am I self-deceived like Peter and the other disciples in believing that I am watchful and ready while probation may very well be closed or is closing, and possibly I may be forever locked out?
It is due to this awareness that the apostle Paul counseled the Thessalonian Christians, “Pray without ceasing.” 1 Thessalonians 5:17. Pray! In your bathroom, lift up a prayer. While driving along the freeway or the highway, you can commune with God. While you’re on the job at the desk, wherever you are, take a moment to send up a little prayer. When you are faced with temptations, just remember, a little prayer coming from a sincere heart, seeking for strength, will not be turned back.
Why are we failing as Christians? Why are we apostatizing? Why is it that our hearts are saying something different from our lips? Why is it that there is envy, jealousy, selfishness, resentment, hatred, and an unforgiving spirit in our hearts? You see, this is what Jesus wants us to come to Him to deal with. When you kneel before the Lord in the closet, ask that He will reveal self to you. And then He has the remedy to uproot that unforgiving spirit. Oh yes, you may be in church every Sabbath singing and praying. Nobody knows what you are struggling with, but God knows. Maybe I have a resentful spirit or a malicious spirit, but I do not portray that publicly. Jesus knows, and because He knows, He pleads with you and me, “Come into the closet.”
I like what He says in Isaiah: “Come now and let us reason together.” Isaiah 1:18. You know, let’s talk it over. You don’t have to feel bad about the situation if it is plaguing your life, because we serve a Saviour who understands. He understands our situation and He wants to help us, but the only way we can be helped from our maladies is as we spend time with Him alone.
“Christ came to our world to engage in single-handed combat with this enemy of man, and thus to wrest the race from Satan’s grasp. In the accomplishment of this object He withheld not His own life. Now in the strength that Christ will give, man must stand for himself a faithful sentinel against the wily plotting foe. Says, the great apostle, ‘Walk circumspectly.’ [Ephesians 5:15.] Guard every avenue of the soul. Look constantly to Jesus the true and the perfect pattern and seek to imitate His example. Not in one or two points merely, but in all things. We shall then be prepared for any and every emergency.” That I May Know Him, 240.
Unceasing watchfulness, and not of the brother or sister in the church. Far too often we spend too much time looking at other people in church. What the Lord is asking us to do is to watch ourselves.
“Unceasing watchfulness is a great help to prayer. It keeps the mind from drifting away from right principles. It shuts out that vanity and trifling which prevails in the world everywhere and to an alarming extent among professed Christians. He whose mind loves to dwell upon God has a strong defense. He will be quick to perceive the dangers that threaten his spiritual life, and a sense of danger will lead him to call upon God for help and for protection.” The Review and Herald, October 11, 1881.
Just as our Jesus prepared Himself daily through secret prayer for the ultimate test and succeeded, so we are to daily prepare ourselves through spending quality time with Him in deep self-examination, confession, repentance, reconciliation, because our ultimate test is coming. Each and every one of us will be tested. Every one of us will be tested individually. It is coming. It is coming, so watch unto prayer; only as we keep that daily intimate connection with Jesus will we succeed and finally triumph. We have no time to lose, for we know not how soon our probation may close. Eternity stretches before us. The curtain is about to be lifted and Christ is soon to come. The angels of God are seeking to attract us from ourselves and from earthly things, so let us not labor in vain, ladies and gentlemen.
“A storm is coming, relentless in its fury.” Reflecting Christ, 311.
Are we prepared to meet that storm? Are we prepared? May God help us to make heaven our first goal; may God help us to value the time for prayer. May God help us, even if we have to shift up our program, our daily schedule, shift it up, but put some time in it for God. Do not become so busy that Jesus is left out of your program. I can tell you if we allow that to happen, as prominent as we are, as committed as we say we are, we are going to slowly, slowly, slowly move ourselves away from the source of life. And one day, we will die spiritually. Jesus admonishes us, He says, “Come now and let us reason together.” “Though your sins be as scarlet,” [Isaiah 1:18] whatever it may be, it doesn’t matter how dark or how crimson, whatever it might be, we have a Savior who understands. He wants to do something for you and me that only He can do so, why not give Him the chance? Take time to pray, and if we take time to pray, He has promised to listen. Victory will be our experience, and we will become a united force, such that Satan, when he thinks about us, will tremble. What a wonderful, loving God we serve. Praise and honor all go to Him!
Pastor Ivan Plummer ministers through the Emmanuel Seventh Day Church Ministries in Bronx, New York. He may be contacted by telephone at: 718-822-3900.