36 Then Jesus went with his disciples to a place called Gethsemane, and he said to them, “Sit here while I go over there and pray.” 37 He took Peter and the two sons of Zebedee along with him, and he began to be sorrowful and troubled. 38 Then he said to them, “My soul is overwhelmed with sorrow to the point of death. Stay here and keep watch with me.”
39 Going a little farther, he fell with his face to the ground and prayed, “My Father, if it is possible, may this cup be taken from me. Yet not as I will, but as you will.”
40 Then he returned to his disciples and found them sleeping. “Couldn’t you men keep watch with me for one hour?” he asked Peter. 41 “Watch and pray so that you will not fall into temptation. The spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak.”
42 He went away a second time and prayed, “My Father, if it is not possible for this cup to be taken away unless I drink it, may your will be done.”
43 When he came back, he again found them sleeping, because their eyes were heavy. 44 So he left them and went away once more and prayed the third time, saying the same thing.
45 Then he returned to the disciples and said to them, “Are you still sleeping and resting? Look, the hour has come, and the Son of Man is delivered into the hands of sinners. 46 Rise! Let us go! Here comes my betrayer!”
Believers don’t often have heart problems. We often have head problems…
Why do you suppose Jesus prayed all night long? According to the record, he didn’t have a lot to say…just wanted to avoid the crucifixion if possible. How long can it take to say that?
Unless prayer is about conforming…not complaining.
A few of things from this event stand out to me.
1. “My Father, if it is possible, may this cup be taken from me. Yet not as I will, but as you will.”
2. “My Father, if it is not possible for this cup to be taken away unless I drink it, may your will be done
Prayer has little to do with getting our way. It has everything to do with God getting His way.
We often forget the great doctrine of Christ’s full humanity. Calvary had to have been a struggle. I doubt this was the first time Jesus talked with his father about it. I don’t know how long it may have taken for the heart and mind of Jesus to find harmony with God’s will. Considering what God was asking him to do…probably a long time.
Gethsemane suggests that it takes longer for God to get into our heads. So…the daily conversion that God would like to see in us is less in our hearts and more in our heads. “Watch and pray so that you will not fall into temptation. The spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak.”
I’m inclined to think that “throwing up a prayer” in the morning is the kind of thing that produces neither conformity with God’s will nor comfort with God’s will. When we find ourselves unnerved about the path God has for us…maybe it’s because we haven’t spent enough time with Him.
Live boldly out there today…
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