(1 Peter 4:7) "But the end of all things is at hand: be ye therefore sober, and watch unto prayer."
How important is prayer to you? In our verse Peter emphasizes the great importance of prayer based on the fact that we are living in the "last days." Now Peter does not use the terms "last days" here , but that is what is meant by "the end of all things is at hand." More often than not, when the Bible talks about the last days it is talking about the period of time between the ascension of Christ and His return. At other times the "last days" can refer to the tribulation period.
D. Edmond Heibert explains Peter's time reference as "The consemation of the present course of history..." There is nothing left on the prophetic calandar prohibiting Christ's return to rapture the Saints unto Himself. The time "is at hand." "Is at hand" is one Greek word meaning the time is drawing near, approaching, can happen at any moment. If we truly believe we are living in these days, and we better, than we must realize the urgency and imporatnce of prayer!! We are told in the Bible that life in these "last days" would get more and more difficult. Contray to some teaching, this world is not getting better, but Satan's attacks will grow stronger as he realizes his time is growing short. We will need to draw closer to our wonderful Savior to gain the strength we need to live effectively for Him!!
After this initial statement Peter gives us two imperitives/commands. First, "be ye therefore sober." The Word "sober" means to be of a sound mind or a clear mind, to be reasonable, to be in a right mind. This would be a mind that can think clearly because it is biblically informed. This is a mind free from the contamination of worldly thinking and unbelief. We need to have a solid foundation under us that is Bible centered so that what ever trials, temptations, and difficulties, come our way, we are prepared to handle them.
The second command is "watch unto prayer." The word "watch" means sobriety, to be alert, or to be self-controlled. Since these times will grow more and more difficult, we need to be alert and focused in our prayer life. We must cultivate a strong, vibrant, daily prayer walk. A strong prayer life is a dependent life in Christ. We cannot make it in life unless we are walking closely with our Lord depending on His strength!! (Philippians 4:13) "I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me."
Remember Peter in the Garden with Christ right before the Cross? (Matthew 26:40-41) "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." Peter struggled with prayer that night and he did fall to temptation and denied his Lord. Yet, this same Peter grew and now challenges us to the urgency of prayer.
Do you realize the urgency and importance of Prayer for yourself? Prayer is a vital ingredient to our survival in these days before Christ's return!
