Matthew 26 - 9.28.23
Scripture
Matthew 26:39 NLT
“He went on a little farther and bowed with his face to the ground, praying, “My Father! If it is possible, let this cup of suffering be taken away from me. Yet I want your will to be done, not mine.”
Observation
The night Jesus was going to be betrayed by Judas, Jesus took Peter, James, and John with Him to the olive grove called Gethsemane. Jesus tells them to keep watch while He goes somewhere to pray. It is then the human sides of Jesus cries out to God. Jesus was distressed of His future fate that awaited Him. He knew the physical brutality that His body was going to take. He was so stressed, Scripture said, that Jesus was sweating droplets of blood.
“And being in anguish, he prayed more earnestly, and his sweat was like drops of blood falling to the ground.”Luke 22:44
It was then that Jesus asked his Heavenly Father if it was possible to take away this HUGE responsibility that was weighing on him, and lift it from His shoulders. But at the end of Jesus’ prayer, Jesus shows us His great example by putting God’s ways over His own by saying, “Yet I want your will to be done, not mine.”
Application
Prayer is about us bending to God’s will, and not God bending to ours.
We are all guilty of it. When we pray and ask God for something, and if our prayer requests aren’t met, we may get mad at God for not getting our way. We may take it as a snub, that God is mad at me. We will allow it to ruin our relationship with Him because we can get so hurt because God doesn’t give us what we want, that we turn away from Him. Sounds kind of childish right?
Now imagine if Jesus acted that way. You think he wanted to get chained, flogged, beaten, and crucified (especially when he was completely innocent and sinless)? What if Jesus decided to say, you know what God, I think what You are asking me to do is unreasonable right now, I think I’m just going to sit this one out. Imagine if that played out. This world will still be dead in our sins. This world will still be in desperate need of a savior.
But thankfully Jesus didn’t act like that. Instead Jesus was humble enough to submit to the Father’s will. He set the example for us by putting aside his needs for the needs of others. His love for this world kept him on that cross so he could fulfill God’s purpose. He was the sacrifice that God needed him to be. And at the end of it all, by putting God’s ways above his own, Jesus was glorified at the right hand of the Father in Heaven, God’s perfect will was fulfilled, and it allowed the world to be saved from their sins.
So the next time I find myself in need, praying for something, I am reminded today of Jesus’ example for us, and will end my prayer with, “not my will, but Your will be done in my life Lord.” Because I know His ways are above my ways. And I know His ways are perfect.
Prayer
Thank You Jesus for leading by example. You came out of the comforts of Heaven to serve, and not be served. It is evident in the way You always submitted to the Father’s will over your own. Please forgive me for the times I try to bend You to do my will, as opposed to me bending to Yours. I pray as I grow each day in my faith, that I can take Your lead and follow Your example. May I seek for God’s will to be done in my life above anything else. In Jesus’ name I pray, Amen. 🙏🏽
-Moses Gaddi