“We see you!”  One of our daughters and her husband decided to start attending church.  Bam!  Her husband was immediately scheduled to work for the next three Sundays even tho he was hired with the understanding that he wouldn’t work Sundays. Her comment was, “We see you.”  Meaning they were aware of the devil’s plot to keep them from going to church.  Being alert to the devil’s schemes helps us combat them.  Update:  A week later her husband was given a permanent assignment where he will be in charge of scheduling himself.  

“Stay alert! Watch out for your great enemy, the devil. He prowls around like a roaring lion, looking for someone to devour.”  1 Peter 5:8

We should also be watching for our Savior to return to earth. We know the end of the story.  But in the meantime, we are to be busy with our assigned task while watching for Jesus’ return.  Being faithful to do our own tasks given to us by God and being alert for signs of Jesus’ return will prove we’re good servants.

“At that time people will see the Son of Man coming in clouds with great power and glory. . . “But about that day or hour no one knows . . .only the Father.  Be on guard! Be alert! You do not know when that time will come.  It’s like a man going away: He leaves his house and puts his servants in charge, each with their assigned task, and tells the one at the door to keep watch.
 “Therefore keep watch because you do not know when the owner of the house will come back.  If he comes suddenly, do not let him find you sleeping.  What I say to you, I say to everyone: ‘Watch!’”  Mark 13:26,33-37

We know Jesus will return, we just don’t know when so we stay alert being confident of God’s good plan for us to live with him forever.  While we’re working and watchfully waiting, we ask for God’s help.

“Pray in the Spirit at all times and on every occasion. Stay alert and be persistent in your prayers for all believers everywhere.”  Ephesians 6:18
“Devote yourselves to prayer with an alert mind and a thankful heart.”  Colossians 4:2
“The end of all things is near. Therefore be alert and of sober mind so that you may pray.”  1 Peter 4:7

“Devote yourselves to prayer; be persistent in your prayers; pray at all times and on every occasion.  Stay alert, be alert, with an alert mind.”  These verses indicate that being alert is integral to prayer.  If we’re alert to the fact that we have a dangerous enemy, we’ll pray for deliverance for us and other believers around the world.  I often think of my sisters in China who are in prison for their faith and pray for them.  If we’re on the watch for our Lord’s return, we’ll pray for those who aren’t ready.  It’s interesting that Peter encourages us to be alert so we can pray.  I wonder if he was remembering his sad experience on the night of Jesus’ arrest.  The Lord had asked him and a few others to pray with him knowing he was about to face the hardest and last hours of his life- his arrest, torture, and execution.  But Peter had failed his best friend.  He didn’t stay awake and alert so he could pray.  Instead, he fell asleep when his friend needed him the most.  And because he hadn’t prayed, he was taken by surprise when their enemies arrived to arrest Jesus.  Then he reacted in a futile and reflexive way that wasn’t helpful. Later that very night after failing to stay awake and pray, he became a traitor and denied ever knowing Jesus.  We have to assume that if he had obeyed Jesus and stayed awake to pray, he would have acted much differently.

A great example of working, watching, and praying is the mother of two influential Christian leaders, John and Charles Wesley.
“Susanna Wesley’s sons, John and Charles, become world-renowned leaders of the global Christian movement. John Wesley is estimated to have preached to nearly a million people in his long, fruitful life.  John’s younger brother Charles was very much a partner in and vital contributor to these accomplishments. A brilliant musician and lyricist, he wrote more than 6,600 hymns, many of which are still in hymnals the world over today. This is her legacy, forged in large part in those diligent hours of intercession under a makeshift apron tent.

Early in her life, she vowed that she would never spend more time in leisure entertainment than she did in prayer and Bible study. Even amid the most complex and busy years of her life as a mother, she still scheduled two hours each day for fellowship with God and time in His Word, and she adhered to that schedule faithfully. The challenge was finding a place of privacy in a house filled to overflowing with children.  

Mother Wesley’s solution to this was to bring her Bible to her favorite chair and throw her long apron up over her head, forming a sort of tent. Every person in the household, from the smallest toddler to the oldest domestic helpers, knew well to respect this signal. When Susanna was under the apron, she was with God and was not to be disturbed except in the case of the direst emergency. There in the privacy of her little tent, she interceded for her husband and children and plumbed the deep mysteries of God in the Scriptures.”

Excerpt from The Praying Example of Susanna Wesley
June 5, 2018 by Jackie Green and Lauren Green-McAfee

My note:  Susanna delivered 19 children including two sets of twins.  But only 10 survived infancy.  I can’t imagine the grief she experienced.  Added to this is the fact that her husband was frequently absent so she carried the responsibility of the household and small farm.  She homeschooled all her children giving her daughters equal education with her sons.  She also scheduled one hour of one on one time with each child each week.  Just for interest’s sake:  Charles wrote nearly 10,000 poems that were written in meters easily adaptable to music.  About 6,600 of these poems were set to music.  Some of these he composed the music for and other of his poems were set to music written by others.  Many of his hymns are still sung today.  Susanna’s influence lives on!