081. Chapter 76: Watchfulness
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Watchfulness As fasting is conjoined to prayer, so is watchfulness conjoined to prayer: “Watch and pray” (Matthew 26:41); “Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance” (Ephesians 6:18); “Be ye therefore sober, and watch unto prayer” (1 Peter 4:7). We must therefore also take this duty to heart -- a duty the Lord Jesus has so solemnly commanded us to perform. “And what I say unto you I say unto all, Watch” (Mark 13:37); “Watch therefore: for ye know not what hour your Lord doth come” (Matthew 24:42).
There is a spiritual watchfulness and a physical watchfulness. Both are the duty of a Christian and we shall therefore speak of both.
Spiritual Watchfulness Defined
Spiritual watchfulness consists in watching over our soul in a careful and circumspect manner in order that no evil may befall her. Spiritual life is a precious and desirable treasure to the believer, far excelling the entire world and all that is in it. It has many enemies which lie in wait for it -- not to be a partaker of it, but to destroy it; they hate it. A Christian is therefore diligent in preserving this life. “Keep thy heart with all diligence” (Proverbs 4:23). The believer knows the value of that life, is acquainted with his enemies and their activities, loves this life, is desirous to preserve and increase it, takes care that it is not injured, and is thus circumspect and always on guard if there is danger approaching from elsewhere. If he becomes aware of something, he is alert and stands ready with his weapons in hand to turn away the enemy, attacking all those who come too close.
Spiritual watchfulness is exercised with several objectives in view. First of all, it pertains to the spiritual influences of the Holy Spirit, such as light, comfort, and strength -- whereby the spiritual life of the soul is strengthened. A Christian prays for this, and during prayer, as well as immediately thereafter, waits to see whether the Lord will grant him something so that he may immediately receive it and seal it within his heart. “My voice shalt Thou hear in the morning, O Lord; in the morning will I direct my prayer unto Thee, and will look up” (Psalms 5:3); “Blessed is the man that heareth Me, watching daily at My gates, waiting at the posts of My doors” (Proverbs 8:34); “Therefore I will look unto the Lord; I will wait for the God of my salvation” (Micah 7:7).
Secondly, watchfulness pertains to all that issues forth from the soul, such as thoughts, words, and deeds, lest the soul be injured by any sin. Instead, there will be a striving that our entire conduct may be according to God’s will, whereby spiritual life increases in strength. “But watch thou in all things” (2 Timothy 4:5). A Christian strives for this: “I said, I will take heed to my ways, that I sin not with my tongue: I will keep my mouth with a bridle” (Psalms 39:1); “I thought on my ways, and turned my feet unto Thy testimonies. I have chosen the way of truth: Thy judgments have I laid before me” (Psalms 119:59
Thirdly, the person who is spiritually watchful also keeps an eye out for all that enters the soul, so that no enemy will steal in to harm his spiritual life. He knows his enemies -- the devil, the world, and his flesh -- and he knows their wickedness and their tireless activity. He is on his guard for that very reason, and he thus “closes the doors and the windows.” “I made a covenant with mine eyes” (Job 31:1); “He ... stoppeth his ears from hearing of blood, and shutteth his eyes from seeing evil” (Isaiah 33:15). In accordance with the exhortation of the apostle he is on guard against the devil. “Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour” (1 Peter 5:8-9). The Christian is on guard against the world when it approaches him with either flattery, threats, or persecutions, conquering all this by faith (1 John 5:4). He is on guard against his flesh, indwelling corruption, and the sin which so easily besets him. The apostle exhorts him to do so: “Dearly beloved, I beseech you as strangers and pilgrims, abstain from fleshly lusts, which war against the soul” (1 Peter 2:11).
Believers Exhorted to Be Watchful
Therefore, Christians, stir up your desire to be watchful and make work of it with the courage of a man. “Watch ye, stand fast in the faith, quit you like men, be strong” (1 Corinthians 16:13).
(1) We are by nature very drowsy. Our spiritual life is feeble, weak, has but little vigor, and indwelling corruption will very readily befuddle our understanding. We shall therefore very readily slumber as the bride did: “I sleep, but my heart waketh” (Song of Solomon 5:2). Such was also the experience of the wise virgins: “While the bridegroom tarried, they all slumbered and slept” (Matthew 25:5).
(2) The enemies are wakeful and are tireless in the execution of their assaults. They never miss an opportunity to rob us of an advantage; and if we are not watchful, they will have the advantage.
(3) How scandalous it is if we are assaulted by the enemy due to our lethargy! If we are wounded while wielding the sword, those wounds will soon heal. If, however, we allow ourselves to be conquered due to lethargy, we must come into the presence of the Lord with shame, for we are then without excuse.
(4) The wounds inflicted by the enemy are very grievous; his arrows are poisonous and burrow in deeply. If the balm of Gilead, administered by the Great Physician, did not heal those wounds, they would be the cause of death. They would rob you of your precious treasure -- spiritual life -- and of all your valuable, spiritual ornaments. “Blessed is he that watcheth, and keepeth his garments, lest he walk naked, and they see his shame” (Revelation 16:15).
(5) When we are watchful, however, we need not fear the enemy. How much more honor and praise will then be enjoyed in the presence of the Lord Jesus, who will crown the conqueror with glory! “To him that overcometh will I give to eat of the tree of life” (Revelation 2:7); “He that overcometh shall not be hurt of the second death” (Revelation 2:11); “To him that overcometh will I grant to sit with Me in My throne” (Revelation 3:21). Therefore, watch!
Guidance unto Watchfulness
If you therefore are desirous of being spiritually watchful, then use those means you also use to remain physically alert.
(1) He who excessively partakes of food and drink cannot be alert. Therefore, he who wishes to be alert will be moderate and sober. Such is also true here: “And take heed to yourselves, lest at any time your hearts be overcharged with surfeiting, and drunkenness, and cares of this life, and so that day come upon you unawares. Watch ye therefore, and pray always” (Luke 21:34
(2) He who wishes to be watchful seeks the company of those who are watchful with him. We must do likewise in the spiritual realm: “Two are better than one; because they have a good reward for their labour. For if they fall, the one will lift up his fellow” (Ecclesiastes 4:9-10).
(3) He who wishes to be watchful will request someone to awaken him if need be. Such is also true here. Since no one but the Lord is able to awaken us and to keep us watchful, we shall thus request of Him in prayer to do so. The Lord will answer this request and arouse us: “He wakeneth morning by morning, He wakeneth mine ear to hear as the learned” (Isaiah 50:4).
(4) He who wishes to be watchful will set his alarm clock, which will arouse him at the appropriate time. This “alarm clock” is the fear of God. “The fear of the Lord is a fountain of life” (Proverbs 14:27).
(5) He who wishes to be watchful will not easily and lazily lie down; rather, he will keep himself occupied. Such is also true here, for if we keep ourselves occupied with the reading of God’s Word, prayer, singing, and engagement in the Lord’s work with delight, then, even if we have but little strength, we shall be spiritually watchful. “Watch therefore: blessed is that servant, whom his Lord when He cometh shall find so doing” (Matthew 24:42
Physical Watchfulness
Physical watchfulness consists in depriving one’s self of sleep at a time which is designated for sleep. As God has ordained that man’s life be preserved by means of food and drink, so also by way of sleep -- which is the refreshing dew of nature and, so to speak, moistens the brain, thereby refreshing it. If we spend too much time sleeping, we shall feed our vices, weaken our body, and it will be the cause of numerous ills and sicknesses. If we sleep too little, the body will become weak and we shall be unfit for work. Thus both -- too much or too little sleep -- will cause the mind to be dull and lethargic. The metabolism of the body is not the same in all men; the one needs more sleep than the other. Thus, one who performs heavy labor needs more sleep than one who leads a quiet and sedentary life. Every godly person ought to know himself in this respect, so that he will not harm his body either way and thus would commit sin. Wakefulness can sometimes be the result of illness, mental torment, anxiety, or an intense desire to commit such sins as gambling or dancing, or the mental reflection upon things which one would indeed desire, and about which one builds castles in the sky. Sometimes we need to be wakeful, either because we are compelled to this by our calling, or because we are determined to complete a set amount of work -- doing this in our calling either manually or by way of study. We are not discussing such watchfulness here, but rather a watchfulness of a religious nature.
Physical Watchfulness for Religious Reasons To be watchful for religious reasons is a special religious exercise in which we deprive ourselves of sleep for the entire night or a portion of it. Such time is then used entirely for the purpose of engaging ourselves in prayer, reading, and meditation -- in order to crucify the flesh with its lusts and to grow spiritually.
All that we have said in our exposition of fasting is also applicable to our explanation concerning watchfulness. The one is a deprivation of food and the other of sleep. It is a religious exercise, for the objective is to seek God in this manner. The time is not spent in being quiet and inactive, but it consists of spiritual activity. It is a special exercise and thus we must not engage in it too often, nor make it a daily activity, for this would be injurious to the body, which soon would become unfit for anything.
It consists, first of all, in a depriving one’s self of sleep. The time involved -- that is, when, how long, whether it is the entire night or some time during the night -- is entirely a matter of personal choice. It can be at the beginning of the night, in the morning, or in between these, one arising out of sleep and lying down again some time later. We shall then deprive ourselves of sleep; and if we become sleepy, we must fight against it -- doing so either with physical means such as getting up and walking around or by putting something tart or bitter in one’s mouth; as well as by the use of spiritual means: prayer, crying for the Spirit, and mourning over our listlessness. This is not to suggest that the deprivation of sleep itself is religious in nature, but it merely belongs to the mode of this religious exercise. Watchfulness must be accompanied by spiritual exercises.
Secondly, it consists in a seeking after God by means of prayer, reading, meditation, or reflection. We are then not only watchful because we have the time for it, but rather that we might seek the countenance of God with a tender heart -- a tenderness engendered by watchfulness and spiritual wrestling. It is a watchful praying and a prayerful watchfulness; they mutually stimulate each other. This is not an obligation which devolves upon all men, for there can be physical unfitness, or it can be that due to either hard work during the day or their present circumstances, they are in need of strength. They who are either single, have a godly family, or have a godly partner can do this more readily. Others, however, would cause trouble by this, and would stir up more that is not edifying in their homes than that which would edify them during this time. Such can occasionally engage in this while remaining in bed. They are then wakeful in all quietness without anyone noticing that they quietly send up their secret prayers Godward. As much as possible our watchfulness is to be such that no one is aware of it. By way of prayerful watchfulness and watchful prayer, the body (which yields much opportunity for sin and stimulates us toward sin) is subdued and rendered more useful.
Watchfulness Commanded and Exemplified
(1) The Lord Jesus enjoins His disciples to be watchful in this manner: “Watch and pray, that ye enter not into temptation” (Matthew 26:41).
(2) The Lord Jesus has left us an example in this: “And in the morning, rising up a great while before day, He went out, and departed into a solitary place, and there prayed” (Mark 1:35); “And it came to pass in those days, that He went out into a mountain to pray, and continued all night in prayer to God” (Luke 6:12).
(3) Such has been the practice of the saints. Jacob remained alone the entire night in order to pray (Genesis 32:24; Hosea 12:5). David testified of himself: “At midnight I will rise to give thanks unto Thee because of Thy righteous judgments” (Psalms 119:62); “In the night his song shall be with me, and my prayer unto the God of my life” (Psalms 42:8); “I prevented the dawning of the morning, and cried. ... Mine eyes prevent the night watches, that I might meditate in Thy word” (Psalms 119:147-148). Asaph did likewise: “My sore ran in the night, and ceased not” (Psalms 77:2). The bride sought upon her bed at night, and arose during the night to seek out her precious Jesus (Song of Solomon 3:1-2; Song of Solomon 5:5). The Christians of the church of the first century endeavored to do likewise. Gradually, however, this changed into a superstition, just as popery still has its superstitious vigils, to which they attribute great holiness, and deem them to be very meritorious. It was also much more common during the initial time of the Reformation. If you wish to read a more comprehensive description of this, you ought to read De Trappen des Geestelijken Levens (The Steps of Spiritual Life) by my deceased father, Theodore à Brakel. From all this we observe what earnestness and zeal these holy men had; if we only had more zeal, we would emulate them more. However, alas! this earnestness and zeal is lacking in these days which are void of zeal, and therefore, why am I even speaking here of specific days of fasting and night-watches? However, the Lord can yet let this be a means so that it will not be entirely forgotten. May someone yet be stirred up by this -- or at least be convinced of his lack of zeal, being even too hasty in his morning and evening exercises. May he be convinced how far removed he is from a frame which would stir him to arise in the night or that would move him to set apart a portion of the beginning or end of the night to be watchful for the purpose of engaging in prayer.