The Good News of God’s Devotion to Us
It was one of the greatest failures of personal devotion to God. At least in the top five of all time.
Jesus is in the Garden of Gethsemane with his disciples. This story is famous for portraying the faithful devotion of Jesus—as it should be. He knows the cross is his next exit. Shortly, he will be arrested. Within a few hours, he will be sentenced to death by crucifixion. In less than a day, he will drink the cup of God’s judgment for sin. His heart is filling with sorrow, his eyes are welling up tears of blood, yet his lips faithfully pray to the Father, “Not as I will, but as you will” (Matt. 26:39).
As famous as this story is for demonstrating the faithfulness of Jesus, it is infamous for the unfaithful behavior of the disciples—Peter, James, and John—who are with him. Before he goes off to pray, Jesus instructs them to “watch and pray that you may not enter into temptation” (Matt. 26:41). It is a seemingly simple instruction—pray.
But it isn’t so simple in reality. Returning from his time in prayer, Jesus sees that the eyes of the disciples are closed, although not for the reason we might think. They are not praying but sleeping. This happened not just once or twice, but three times in a row. The contrast could not have been any more distinct. The faithful devotion of Jesus led him to his death, while the unfaithful devotion of the disciples led them to be dead asleep.
God has given us instruction after instruction to prioritize time with him in prayer and by reading his Word. The instruction of Colossians 3:16 is “to let the word of Christ dwell in you richly.” The command of 1 Thessalonians 5:17 is to “pray without ceasing.” The directions in the Word of God match the life of the Son of God, as they always do. When Jesus withdrew privately to pray in Gethsemane, it wasn’t an anomaly but a normality. He regularly rose early and withdrew from the crowds and his disciples to pray (Mark 1:35). When he was tempted in the wilderness, the Word of God spilled out of him, both telling and showing us that “man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God” (Matt. 4:4).
There is explicit instruction in God’s Word and consistent modeling by God’s Son to regularly spend time reading and praying with God. It seems like a simple instruction, yet for whatever reason, we make it complicated. It is doubtful you have been told that reading your Bible or spending time in prayer is optional, and yet sometimes our lives—and our mornings—can make it seem that way. You probably have lots of great days when you carve out time to pray and study God’s Word. May those only continue! But, at least for me, on more mornings than I would like to admit, Jesus would find me with my eyes closed—not because I am praying but sleeping. Maybe it’s similar for you, too.
The question is, when we demonstrate unfaithful devotion to God, what happens to God’s devotion to us? I wonder what the disciples thought Jesus was going to say each time he woke them up, especially after the third time. It’s probably the same place our own hearts tend to go. Our lack of devotion often opens the door for a gust of uncertainty to enter in, destabilizing our confidence in God and his affections toward us. It can be easier to believe God’s love for us when we have finished our “Bible in a Year” reading plans, but what about when we didn’t even get through Leviticus? We begin to wonder if something will change, for the worse. We naturally assume his love will diminish, his concern will weaken, and his devotion will grow cold.
If there is any benefit from our inconsistent devotion, it is the light it casts on our improper doctrine. If there is any gain from missing time with God, it is the way it exposes the truth that we are also missing the right theology of God. We can be tempted to think he gives instructions for his sake or that he needs to see our commitment to stay committed to him. We might think he tells us to spend time in daily devotions to maintain the daily love we receive from him, but this conditional form of love couldn’t be further from the truth.
When Jesus wakes up Peter, James, and John for the third time, there is no rebuke or sign of disgust toward them. He doesn’t roll his eyes at them or turn his back. He tells them, “Sleep and take your rest later on. See, the hour is at hand, and the Son of Man is betrayed into the hands of sinners. Rise, let us be going” (Matt. 26:45–46). Graciously, he tells them they can sleep later, but not now. Lovingly, he invites them to come with him. He is headed to the cross.
In response to their unfaithfulness, Jesus neither turns from them—or the cross. The lack of devotion in the disciples does not temper the devotion of Jesus. Nothing has changed. No love has diminished. No plan has stopped. Jesus, the one betrayed into the hands of sinners, is still devoted enough to die for them. The disciples may have failed Jesus, but Jesus does not fail them. He continues to the cross, to die for the worst of sinners and the deepest of sleepers. So great is the devotion of Jesus, it is never based on our commitment to him but on his unconditional love for us.
God has given us instructions for daily devotions, not for his sake but ours. He has not invited us to rhythms of reading and praying to earn his love, but to receive it. He has not directed us to spend consistent time with him to maintain his love, but to marvel at it. He points us to his Word so we can read again of his great love. May the faithfulness of God’s devotion to us increase the fervor of our devotion to him. May it lead us to close our eyes, not to sleep but to pray. May it invite us to ask each day to see, to believe, and to trust in his devotion to us—now and forever.
Mike Holwerda lives in Twinsburg, Ohio with his wife and two boys. He serves as an associate pastor of the church Christ Community Chapel in Hudson, Ohio. Mike earned his undergrad at Calvin University and earned his Master of Divinity from Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary.