Spiritual Air and Water

While the resurrected Christ ministered among the Nephites in the Western Hemisphere, he instituted the ordinance of the Sacrament of the Last Supper. His gospel is the same on both sides of the world and so are the ordinances. Directly after administering the sacrament, Jesus encouraged His twelve special disciples to pray:

Verily, verily, I say unto you, ye must watch and pray always, lest ye be tempted by the devil, and ye be led away captive by him. 
--3 Nephi 18:15

He then turned to the multitude who had just partaken of the sacrament and repeated the same instructions:

Behold, verily, verily, I say unto you, ye must watch and pray always lest ye enter into temptation; for Satan desireth to have you, that he may sift you as wheat.
--3 Nephi 18:18

Repetition in scripture indicates significance and emphasis. The Savior used these exact words twice in this brief sermon on prayer. He did not want the lesson lost. 

Watching and praying are of vital importance to my spiritual welfare. They are like air and water. 

For what must I watch? Temptation—the sly, insidious, almost imperceptible invitations to stray from the Lord's way, the covenant path. The Big 10 are not Satan's weapons. I'm highly unlikely to commit murder, rob a bank, or perjure myself in court. To quote Joseph Smith, "A disposition to commit such was never in my nature" (Pearl of Great Price, Joseph Smith History 1:28).

A million little things can rack up a big score, however. I must watch for the small sins—often not so much what I do but what I don't do. Despite the Savior's injunction to "watch", I become easily lulled into complacency and inattention. I simply forget to watch.

And so, the second injunction to "pray always." Knowing I would fail to watch perfectly, Jesus directs me to bolster my faulty watching with prayer. When I watch, I put the onus on myself to be aware of the temptations that beset me and to avoid them. When I pray, however, I put the onus (and my faith) on God  to help me, to watch for me, and to steer me clear of the obstacles my enemy puts in my path. Between my feeble attempts and God's immense power, there is hope for me.

One more thought: Note the scripture does not say "pray regularly" or "pray daily". It says to "pray always". How do I pray always if I cannot watch always? Given my one-track mind, how do I focus on watching and praying continually while I must also give my attention to the things of daily life, particularly the mental activities like writing? Should I lock myself in a monastic cell and shut the door to all outside distractions? I could watch and pray always, but I wouldn't be of much use to anyone.

Though we usually think of the word "always" in its primary sense of "at all times and on all occasions," it has a second meaning: "as a last resort." For instance, if you can't get your car to start, you can always call a tow truck. Is that the meaning of "prayer always?" If I have done all I can to watch myself and keep myself out of trouble, is prayer my last resort? Is prayer my last hope? Isn't prayer really my only hope? Isn't faith in Christ and repentance my one true hope?

Prayerfully Watch

The members of the ancient church thought Christ's Second Coming was imminent. The apostle Peter taught them how to be prepared:

But the end of all things is at hand: be ye therefore sober, and watch unto prayer.
--Peter 1:4

Prayer is part of our watching and preparation for the Second Coming. Prayer attunes us to the Holy Spirit, through whom warnings and revelations will come. The Spirit inspires us what to pray for, and at the appropriate time He will direct us to pray for what we need to be prepared to meet the Lord. Whether we meet Him coming or going, on this side of the veil or the other, we need to be prepared.

Pray and Watch to Be Prepared

During the last week of His mortal life, Jesus and the disciples spent much time in the temple where He gave some of His most powerful sermons. On a particular day, while they moved about the temple, the disciples marveled at the magnificence of the building and the riches it contained. Jesus took the opportunity to prophesy to the disciples about the coming destruction of the temple and the signs that would precede His return to the earth. 

After describing the calamities and dire events that would precede His Second Coming, Jesus gave this counsel to His disciples in His day, which applies to those of us who strive to be His disciples in our day:

Watch ye therefore, and pray always, that ye may be accounted worthy to escape all these things that shall come to pass, and to stand before the Son of man.
--Luke 21:36

Prayer and watchfulness prepare us for the coming of Christ. We watch for signs, and we watch ourselves. We do not want His coming to sneak up on us out of ignorance or because we are blinded and numbed by sin. 

In our prayers we can ask for help in our preparations. If we truly pray with real intent, "Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done," we will be open to the whispering of the Holy Ghost, and we will see His coming, even while He is yet a great way off. If we pray for strength to defeat Satan and overcome the natural man, the Lord will gird us with truth and soften our hearts so the Spirit can penetrate us and change us and prepare us for all things. 

Prayer increases our watchfulness, and diligent watching always brings us back to prayer.

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.