“And he cometh unto the disciples, and findeth them asleep, and saith unto Peter, What, could ye not watch with me one hour? Watch and pray, that ye enter not into temptation: the spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak.” (Matthew 26:40,41)
There can be so much we feel God wants us to do, but we feel so inadequate at times to do it. We commit to prayer or Bible reading, but find ourselves falling asleep. We feel there is a call on our life to do something, but somehow it never gets off the ground. Whether it’s our own weakness, or circumstances, we just can’t seem to perform what is in our spirit to do.
As much as Jesus wanted His disciples to watch and pray with Him, He pitied them when they couldn’t: “Like as a father pitieth his children, so the LORD pitieth them that fear him. For he knoweth our frame; he remembereth that we are dust.” (Ps. 103:13,14) The Lord knows that if we are to fulfill His will in any regard it will not be by our might, or power, but by His Spirit. We need His supply, His divine power, to get anything done. As we wait on Him, He renews our strength, so that we can run and not be weary, walk and not be faint.
Jesus commended the woman who anointed His head with her ointment at Bethany. When others found fault with her, He said, “Let her alone … she hath done what she could.” Do what you can. Give what you have. It might only be two fish and five loaves of bread. But the Lord can use it. Your strength today might be small, and your resources limited. But is your heart toward God? Are you willing to give all you’ve got? That’s all He asks for. Lay it on His altar. It will be a sweet-smelling savor to Him.
“For if there be first a willing mind, it is accepted according to that a man hath, and not according to that he hath not.” (2 Corinthians 8:12)