Year in Review - Thursday
TODAY’S VERSE
Matthew 26:40
And he came to the disciples and found them sleeping. And he said to Peter, “So, could you not watch with me one hour?” (ESV)
You know the drill. It’s New Year’s resolution time. Gym memberships spike. Salad sales soar. Optimism is at an all-time high!. And then, a few weeks in, motivation quietly slips out the back door.
Apparently, our strongest annual tradition isn’t self-improvement—it’s failure.
That might sound discouraging, but it’s actually incredibly honest, and ironically hopeful. Because long before we struggled to keep a workout routine or eat better, the disciples were already experts at good intentions and weak follow-through.
In Gethsemane, Jesus faces and passes his test, but his disciples (Peter, James, and John) face two tests and fail both. Falling asleep when he needed them most.
Fortunately for us as readers, we get to stay awake. We hear Jesus’ midnight prayers. We watch His obedience, His surrender. And we learn from the contrast between His faithfulness and the disciples’ failure.
Eventually, that same night, every disciple will abandon Jesus. This wasn’t a surprise. Zechariah 13:7 foretold it: “Strike the shepherd, and the sheep will be scattered.” What unfolds in the garden is the beginning of that scattering.
Matthew 26 almost seems to invite us to critique the disciples. They overestimate their loyalty, make bold promises they can’t keep, and crumble in the moment. But if we’re tempted to judge them, we should pause, because their story is uncomfortably familiar.
We start with sincere resolve. We mean well. We want to be faithful. But when pressure sets in, when fear creeps closer, or when obedience requires real cost, we fail.
But here is the good news: the story does not end with the disciples’ failure—because it does not depend on their faithfulness.
Gethsemane is not their final chapter. The same men who fall asleep and flee will later be restored, commissioned, and sent on mission. Their failure doesn’t disqualify them; it reveals their need. And that need is met by a faithful Savior.
Even when the disciples abandon Jesus, He doesn’t abandon them. He knows their weakness and fear, and He walks toward the cross anyway. So as this new year begins, our hope is not in our resolve or our willpower. Our hope is in a Savior who remains faithful, even when we fail.
APPLICATION
Instead of making a new promise to God this year, choose one small, honest practice of dependence. Set aside 10 minutes today to pray and tell God where you feel weak, tired, or afraid.
PRAYER
God, I confess that my intentions are often stronger than my resolve. I want to be faithful, but I grow tired, distracted, and afraid. Teach me to ‘watch and pray,’ to depend on You rather than myself. Meet me in my weakness and help me trust Your faithfulness.
