‘Watch’ and ‘Pray’
“Be watchful, stand firm in the faith.”
How can we recognize when a temptation has come to it’s hour? A temptation has come to it’s hour when it is restless, urgent, and arguing. It is a time of battle, and sin will give the soul no rest. Satan sees his advantage, the convergence of his forces, and knows that he must know prevail, or be hopeless forever. Satan pushes this opportunity and time of advantage with special pleas and promises. He has taken some ground in his arguments so far, and seeks to exerts his ground further. He reminds us of the full pardon after the sin. He realizes if he does not win now he will lose the opportunity. When Satan has prepared all of the events against Christ, it was the hour of darkness. When a temptation presses in upon us through our imagination and reason, and when opportunities, solicitations, and advantages press us on the outside, we may know the hour of it’s power has come.
A temptation has also come to it’s hour when it brings both fear and allurements together to work with greater force. These came together in King David when he planned the murder of Uriah. There was the fear of his sin being found out, and also the continued pleasure and enjoyment of Bathsheba. Men sometimes are carried into sin just by the love of it, but often continue in it because of the fear of the consequence that might appear by repentance and full discloser. Our Savior teaches us the way to prevent our entering into temptation, and there our two: ‘Watch‘ and ‘Pray‘. To watch means to be on guard, to take heed, and to consider the ways the enemy might seek to approach us and entangle us in his baits and methods. The second direction is to pray. This important duty is known to all. These two duties are the whole expression of faith to protect us from temptation.
John Owen, Works,VI:99-101
