Watch and Pray

Jesus was in the midst of His atoning agony in the Garden of Gethsemane. He had left His three closest friends and associates at the gate to "watch" with Him. In other words, He wanted the three chief apostles to stay awake and be there for Him if He needed them. But after Jesus had fallen on His face and prayed to the Father to spare Him this terrible suffering, followed by the submissive rejoinder, "nevertheless not as I will, but as thou wilt," He returned to His friends to find them asleep. Perhaps with a touch of frustration, but certainly with His characteristic compassion and empathy, Jesus woke them and said:  

Watch and pray, that ye enter not into temptation: the spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak.
-- Matthew 26:41

I think perhaps Jesus is telling His disciples that they would have to start praying for themselves. Just a few minutes earlier He had prayed magnanimously for them in the great Intercessory Prayer. But now He was about to be consumed for them. For a while it would be all He could do to pray for Himself.

Further, when He says, "the spirit is indeed willing, but the flesh is weak," I believe He is referring not to His own flesh and spirit but to those of His disciples. It is their flesh that is weak, their eyelids that are heavy with slumber. 

And against what temptation are they to pray? Is it not the temptation to let the flesh overpower the spirit? To take the easy path? To let the appetites of the body overcome the righteous desires of the soul? 

When I am weary and fatigued in body, it is so tempting to give in to the weariness, stop trying, give up the effort, and let my body do what it wants. The "natural man" within me wants ease and comfort, not struggle and perseverance.  

Prayer is the antidote to the weakness of the physical appetites. Prayer directs me away from temptation. It is hard to entertain a temptation while praying sincerely. When I feel tempted, I can pray for strength, and the very act of calling upon God can banish the temptation.