Sleepytime

I've been reading through the Gospels again over these past few months and the Holy Spirit has so graciously opened my eyes so that I feel like I'm reading it for the first time. Perhaps it's due to my own slightly narcoleptic tendencies, but one of the things that's really stuck out to me this time through are the times that there is mention of sleeping.

The disciples are often sleepy at the times when Jesus asks them to pray. In Luke 9, it says that Jesus took Peter, James, and John to a mountain to pray. Shortly thereafter, the Transfiguration occurs and the disciples almost miss it because it says they were "very sleepy" (vs. 32). And then there's the time when Jesus is agonizing in the Garden of Gethsemane and tells the disciples to "Watch and pray so that you will not fall into temptation. The spirit is willing, but the body is weak" (Mark 14:38). I wonder if the disciples had spent more time in prayer during that night if it would have changed their response when the ensuing trial came?

The other stark contrast is to see when we have record of Jesus sleeping. When the disciples were panicked on a boat, doing everything in their power to not drown, Jesus was sleeping peacefully in the bottom of the boat (Mark 4.35-41). The reality of each of the situations was far different than it appeared. When it felt like all was lost, the Truth was that their salvation was as close as speaking a word. A quiet, late night in a garden was truly the greatest crisis they'd ever known.

I guess I'm trying to be more sensitive to listening to my Father's voice, letting me know when I need to fight against the weakness of my flesh and pursue the hunger of my Spirit, and when I need to set aside my anxieties and fears and truly rest in Peace. Almost time for bedtime . . . :-)