When Jesus prayed in the garden of Gethsemane He begged the disciples to stay awake, and to pray that they may not have to undergo the test. Jesus agonized while anticipating the betrayal of one of His chosen friends and sweated blood over our sins. Nevertheless, we are His church, His chosen bride. (An image of a church has been painted into the bride’s dress).
In this dark time for our church, the bride must painfully reach down to drink from the bitter cup that Jesus Himself accepted; she too must suffer because of those that betray her. She is engaged to Jesus in His agony.
Those who have been victimized are joined closer to the Lord in His grief. He invites especially them to pray, that the grace of repentance be given to anybody that would make a harlot of His bride.
God gives sufficient grace to every person that makes up His church, but He begs us to stay awake to that grace. The bride cannot afford to fall asleep. Those who do not pray, stray.
