I want your will to be done, not mine.
Day 5: Jesus Prays in Gethsemane
Thursday
Mark 14:32-42 NLT
32 They went to the olive grove called Gethsemane, and Jesus said, “Sit here while I go and pray.” 33 He took Peter, James, and John with him, and he became deeply troubled and distressed. 34 He told them, “My soul is crushed with grief to the point of death. Stay here and keep watch with me.”
35 He went on a little farther and fell to the ground. He prayed that, if it were possible, the awful hour awaiting him might pass him by. 36 “Abba, Father,”[a] he cried out, “everything is possible for you. Please take this cup of suffering away from me. Yet I want your will to be done, not mine.”
37 Then he returned and found the disciples asleep. He said to Peter, “Simon, are you asleep? Couldn’t you watch with me even one hour? 38 Keep watch and pray, so that you will not give in to temptation. For the spirit is willing, but the body is weak.”
39 Then Jesus left them again and prayed the same prayer as before. 40 When he returned to them again, he found them sleeping, for they couldn’t keep their eyes open. And they didn’t know what to say.
41 When he returned to them the third time, he said, “Go ahead and sleep. Have your rest. But no—the time has come. The Son of Man is betrayed into the hands of sinners. 42 Up, let’s be going. Look, my betrayer is here!”
Filled with anguish and deep fear for what He would soon experience, Jesus withdrew with His inner circle, the three disciples closest to him, and took refuge in a special place. There, kneeling alone in the darkness of the night under the protection of the olive trees, in a place called the Garden of Gethsemane, He cried out to His Father, God. Luke's account tells us that Jesus was in such anguish that He even sweated drops of blood. Jesus, faced with His imminent suffering and death, demonstrated His submission to God's will. Then, with determination, He did what was necessary to save all of humanity.
When we suffer in this life, we do not suffer alone. We have a God who also felt pan and who understands us in our suffering. We do not serve a distant God, but a God close in our pain.
Even in suffering and fear, Jesus shows us the need to seek and pray to God for strength. This place of searching is what will bring us strength and guidance for what lies ahead—knowing that in every moment God is by our side.
Here Jesus gives us a powerful example of faith and obedience. Facing life's trials is not easy. Perhaps it's not the path we expected, and perhaps it will hurt at times, but ultimately, when we recognize God's sovereignty and authority in our lives, we can pray as Jesus did—that God's will be done in me, not what I want, but your will God. Because we know that God's will is always perfect and best for us.
Do not be discouraged. Yes, there will be suffering in this life, but we are not alone. Christ has already won.
REFLECT: What suffering or pain are you experiencing in your life right now? What do you want God to do in you? Have you submitted yourself to God's will? Have you submitted your plans to God's will? Have you lived in obedience to who God has called you to be and what he has called you to do? What can you learn from Jesus' response in this situation? How can you apply it to your life?
Take a few minutes to think about this and right your reflections in a notebook or in your notes app.