Watch and Pray Always

Prayer has been on my mind a lot lately. One of my favorite aspects of prayer is it's connection to resisting temptation. I know that several scriptures say to watch and pray always that we may be able to resist temptation. I'd like to make a list of those scriptures; a list that I can edit and add to as I find more scriptures to put on it. I guess I'll put that here, since I can edit blog posts after I've posted them. I'm not sure it really counts as a blog post, but if I copy and paste the scriptures themselves and not just the references, you should get something out of those, assuming you decide to read them. I've only done a basic search so far and I've already found about a dozen of them. This is going to be a long list.


Matthew 26:41 Watch and pray, that ye enter not into temptation: the spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak.

Mark 13:33 Take ye heed, watch and pray: for ye know not when the time is.

Mark 14:38 Watch ye and pray, lest ye enter into temptation. The spirit truly is ready, but the flesh is weak.

Luke 21:36 Watch ye therefore, and pray always, that ye may be accounted worthy to escape all these things that shall come to pass, and to stand before the Son of man.

Luke 22:40 (No reference to watching in this one, but it's about resisting temptation, so it still fits, I think.) And when he was at the place, he said unto them, Pray that ye enter not into temptation.

Ephesians 6:18 (Right After the Armor of God) Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints;

Colossians 4:2 Continue in prayer, and watch in the same with thanksgiving.

1 Peter 4:7 But the end of all things is at hand: be ye therefore sober, and watch unto prayer.

Mosiah 4:30 (No reference to prayer in this one, but it's too good not to share.) But this much I can tell you, that if ye do not watch yourselves, and your thoughts, and your words, and your deeds, and observe the commandments of God, and continue in the faith of what ye have heard concerning the coming of our Lord, even unto the end of your lives, ye must perish. And now, O man, remember, and perish not.

Alma 13:28 But that ye would humble yourselves before the Lord, and call on his holy name, and watch and pray continually, that ye may not be tempted above that which ye can bear, and thus be led by the Holy Spirit, becoming humble, meek, submissive, patient, full of love and all long-suffering;

Alma 15:17 Therefore, after Alma having established the church at Sidom, seeing a great check, yea, seeing that the people were checked as to the pride of their hearts, and began to humble themselves before God, and began to assemble themselves together at their sanctuaries to worship God before the altar, watching and praying continually, that they might be delivered from Satan, and from death, and from destruction—

3 Nephi 18:15 Verily, verily, I say unto you, ye must watch and pray always, lest ye be tempted by the devil, and ye be led away captive by him.

3 Nephi 18:18 Behold, verily, verily, I say unto you, ye must watch and pray always lest ye enter into temptation; for Satan desireth to have you, that he may sift you as wheat.

In the Doctrine and Covenants, there are many good scriptures that admonish us to "Pray Always," but very few of them also mention watching. For the rest of this list, I'll include scriptures that have "pray always" in them whether they have "watch" in them or not.

D&C 10:5 Pray always, that you may come off conqueror; yea, that you may conquer Satan, and that you may escape the hands of the servants of Satan that do uphold his work.

D&C 19:38 Pray always, and I will pour out my Spirit upon you, and great shall be your blessing—yea, even more than if you should obtain treasures of earth and corruptibleness to the extent thereof.

D&C 20:33 Therefore let the church take heed and pray always, lest they fall into temptation;

D&C 31:12 Pray always, lest you enter into temptation and lose your reward.

D&C 33:17 Wherefore, be faithful, praying always, having your lamps trimmed and burning, and oil with you, that you may be ready at the coming of the Bridegroom—

D&C 61:39 Pray always that you enter not into temptation, that you may abide the day of his coming, whether in life or in death. Even so. Amen.

D&C 75:11 Praying always that they faint not; and inasmuch as they do this, I will be with them even unto the end.

D&C 88:26 Pray always, that ye may not faint, until I come. Behold, and lo, I will come quickly, and receive you unto myself. Amen.

D&C 90:24 Search diligently, pray always, and be believing, and all things shall work together for your good, if ye walk uprightly and remember the covenant wherewith ye have covenanted one with another.

With all these scriptures that reference watching and praying and/or praying always, usually so that we won't fall into temptation, I get the feeling that one of the best ways to avoid and resist temptation is to watch out for it and pray for the strength to resist it. Hymn 259, Hope of Israel, uses "Watch and Pray" as a war-cry in the battle against evil, and I think that I should, too. I know that when I have the most trouble resisting temptation, it's when I haven't been praying and reading the scriptures. There has to be a connection there. I'm thinking that if you want greater power to resist temptation, watching and praying always sounds like a pretty good idea.