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TOPIC: Gordon, Samuel Dickey - Quiet Talks About the Tempter (Other Topics in this Collection)
SUBJECT: 040. Watch As Well As Pray
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Watch As Well As Pray
One of the settled maxims of military wisdom is this—"study the enemy." Millions are spent annually by the governments of Europe and America, and, lately, of the Eastern world, in just this thing. Yet they go just a step farther, for they spend the money studying the military strength and tactics of nations that are now friendly, but that may become enemies. The general who would enter upon a conflict, without doing his utmost to learn everything possible to be learned about the enemy he must meet, would be regarded as greatly lacking in wisdom, if indeed he were not plainly called a fool.
Our enemy is not a possible enemy, but a real one. The war is actually on. And plainly God meant us to know about the enemy, for He has given us so much clear information about him and his forces, in His Word. Our Lord Jesus said, "watch and pray that ye enter not into temptation." (Mat_26:41.)
The temptation is here. It reveals the tempter in ambush. "Pray" is not enough. "Watch" is not enough. The two must be coupled. The eyes must be joined with the knees. And keen-trained, practised eyes they must be too. The "watch" is for the enemy, the "pray" for God. We must look out as well as look up. There has not been too much praying, but there has been far too little watching. While some of us have been devotedly absorbed in kneeling, the enemy has slipped in, and toppled us over.
We must learn to pray with our eyes open, and our ears alert, for our cunning enemy is lurking around. Praying that is not accompanied by watching is weakened. The knees need the eyes. The eyes watching the enemy will make the knees stronger in their work. Watching will reveal our danger, and make us realize more keenly the need of prayer, and of claiming our Lord's victory.
More watching would make more praying. We would feel more keenly the danger, and our own helplessness. Keener watching—eyes trained to see in the dark, would make keener, steadier praying. For we would realize more, how great the prayer is that can affect and upset such an enemy as our watching brings into the light.
Our watching is hard on the enemy; he must fight harder. And our praying becomes more simple and definite, steadier, and more quietly tense. And watching makes easier praying; it reveals to us our utter helplessness in ourselves alone, and then we throw ourselves on our Victor, and rest our case there. We can do nothing else before such a foe. And as we lean wholly upon our Defender, we learn to rest upon Him in our sorest straits. And that helpless resting upon His makes the results quicker and surer. Faith rests because of its very helplessness.