This Hour is the Critical Hour

Articles

Larry Walker
02/16/16 - Faith

THIS Hour is the Critical Hour!

Mt. 26:36-46

Jesus’ disciples, in his hour of trial in the garden, when he needed them to watch and pray with him, and when they needed to watch and pray, fell asleep. Please read this passage, and feel the tension mounting as Jesus faces the cross. See how he loves them, and tries to guide them. It was their hour of trial too. But they slept, not realizing it was the critical hour. He was disappointed in them. “What, could ye not watch with me one hour?” But they couldn’t go back, couldn’t retrace those steps. They had missed the opportunity to identify with him and unite with him in his trial. “Sleep on now, and take your rest.” “Get ready for the next test that is coming.” How often he watches patiently over us while we rest. Our rest in God’s patient care and protection over us renews and refreshes and prepares us for new opportunity.

Then in a short while, the time for rest is over. “Arise, let us be going.” What matters is today, this hour. So many of us live too much in the past. We look back and realize we took steps that cannot be retraced, we created problems that cannot be fixed, or we missed opportunities that will not come back again. We fret over what we did or didn’t do. Even worse, what someone did to us, or failed to do for us. We worry and justify and study and analyze and blame. And we become depressed, weary and discouraged and we fall asleep. All of this is to no use and no profit. It is a lack of faith in our Father.

Others live too much in the future. They plan and scheme and work for some material goal – education, wealth, promotion, comfortable retirement, power, popularity, physical beauty or strength. They can frustrate and wear themselves out in all these pursuits, thinking that they must plan for tomorrow’s provision, or next year, not seeing that in planning and working for things of tomorrow, they have squandered the spiritual opportunities of today. All of this too is of little profit, and a lack of faith in our Father.

Faith has been defined and studied and analyzed till the power and spirit is gone from it. Faith is THIS hour’s obedience. Doing right now, this hour, this minute, what you know Jesus wants you to do – THAT is believing in Him. Men are forever putting off the spiritual man, neglecting the response of faith, and planning on getting around to it one day. We are distracted by material pursuits, or fretting about our failures and troubles of yesterday, and then we grow dull and weary and sick spiritually. Get up and obey him now, and your eyes will be opened. Things will not be better tomorrow if you don’t obey Him today. We have rested enough for now. Arise, let us be going. This hour is the critical hour!

- Larry Walker, February 2009