Stay Watchful

The Roman City of Pompeii was destroyed in 79 AD when Mount Vesuvius suddenly and violently exploded. When archaeologists began unearthing the remains of this city they were amazed at what they found. The ancient residents of Pompeii were frozen in time: men and women were at the market, the rich in their luxurious baths, slaves at toil, sentries standing at their posts. The people of Pompeii were instantly cocooned and preserved by a deadly mixture of volcanic ash and superheated gasses that belched forth from the volcano.  

Interestingly, historians and geologists tell us that these people did not have to die. Experts confirm what ancient Roman writers recorded—weeks of rumblings and shakings preceded the actual eruption of Vesuvius. Even an ominous plume of smoke was clearly visible from the mountain days before she blew her top. If only the Pompeiians had been watchful and acted accordingly to the signs of the clear and present danger upon them.

As I leafed through the Bible the other day, I became aware of how much the Holy Spirit repeated the theme of watchfulness. The idea behind this command is stay alert, be observant of your surroundings, be looking for danger and ready to respond. Here are a few examples:

We are to be watchful in prayer: “Watch and pray that you may not enter into temptation. The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak” (Matt. 26:41).

     

We are to be watchful for the Enemy: “Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour” (1 Peter 5:8).  

We are to be watchful for false teachers: “For I know this, that after my departure savage wolves will come in among you, not sparing the flock. Also from among yourselves men will rise up, speaking perverse things, to draw away the disciples after themselves. Therefore watch… (Acts 20:29-31).

We are to be watchful over the health of the church: “Be watchful, and strengthen the things which remain, that are ready to die” Jesus said to the church at Sardis (Rev. 3:3).

We are to be watchful for the return of Christ: “Watch therefore, for you do not know what hour your Lord is coming” (Matt. 24:42).

Paul tells us that the three great enemies in the Christian life are the world, the flesh and the Devil (Eph. 2:2-3). Just so, each of these pose a different challenge to being watchful. First, there is the world which offers an endless array of distractions that would take our attention away from vigilance. I think of Lot, the nephew of Abraham, who was gradually pulled into the bells and whistles of life in the big city of Sodom (Gen. 13:10). Second, there is the flesh which is naturally given over to pride and complacency. I think of Peter who should have been praying with Jesus in Gethsemane but instead was snoring. His flesh got the best of him and Peter eventually denied Jesus (Matt. 26:40-41). Third, there is the Devil whose deceptions cause us to let our guard and fall into sin. I am reminded of Solomon who in a time of peace and prosperity went lax on his integrity and became sexually promiscuous. These many foreign wives and concubines turned Solomon’s heart away from God (1 Kings 11:3-4).      

So my friend, are you a slumbering saint or are you a watchman on the wall? I can tell you the discipline of staying watchful is a 24/7/365 job. Everyday we ought to report for “guard duty” in the Lord’s army. Our Adversary never takes a day off and neither can we, even if we’ve experienced a great victory. The old Scottish preacher Andrew Bonar said, “Let us be as watchful after the victory as before the battle.” -DM