Luke 21:34–36 (ESV)
“But watch yourselves lest your hearts be weighed down with dissipation and drunkenness and cares of this life, and that day come upon you suddenly like a trap. For it will come upon all who dwell on the face of the whole earth. But stay awake at all times, praying that you may have strength to escape all these things that are going to take place, and to stand before the Son of Man.”
After all that complex prophesy, Jesus now gives us some basic advice. But watch yourselves lest your hearts be weighed down with dissipation and drunkenness and cares of this life, and that day come upon you suddenly like a trap.
The list of items that can weigh down our hearts is intriguing. The Greek word that’s translated as “dissipation” (κρεπάλῃ, kre-PA-lay) means drunkenness—with an emphasis on its effects (staggering or hangover). The New King James translates it as, “carousing.” In any case, we have two references to excessive partying.
But at the other extreme, the word that’s translated as “cares” (μερίμναις, mer-IM-nais) means anxiety, worry, cares. So we see both the happy-go-lucky response to the pressures of life and the obsessive-compulsive one. Jesus doesn’t want our hearts to be weighed down either way.
But notice that the recommendation is to watch yourselves. Our sinful nature is the problem. One way or the other, we always seem to come up with a dumb response to our challenges. If we don’t watch out, we’ll slip into one of these dysfunctional modes.
Jesus is warning us to not be owned by the rat race. Instead, we must stay awake at all times, praying that you may have strength to escape all these things that are going to take place, and to stand before the Son of Man.
Just like the bumper sticker says, “Life is short; pray hard.”
Too many of our prayers are about the cares of this life. We should always try to start out with praise and worship, but the main body of most prayers is still dominated by us telling God what we want Him to do.
That runs counter to this lesson.
Instead of mostly asking God to do us favors, seeking His will should dominate. Asking God to tell us what we should do is the proper attitude for disciples towards their teacher.
To paraphrase JFK, “Ask not what the Lord can do for you; ask what you can do for the Lord.”
This can get serious. How ready are you to respond to what happens next? Maybe we should pray about that too. “Lord, open my heart to Your will.”
This is long term stuff. Seeking God’s direction is tricky.
Snap decisions are rarely appropriate.
