Mark 14:35-36
“Going a little farther, he fell to the ground and prayed that if possible the hour might pass from him. “Abba, Father,” he said, “everything is possible for you. Take this cup from me. Yet not what I will, but what you will.””
Mark 14:35-36 NIV
Sometimes doing God’s will is easy to follow. Sometimes doing God’s will is very difficult to follow. There are going to be times in your life doing what God wants you to do is going to feel terrible. You are going to feel grief and anguish to do what God has called you to do. You will feel the full force of dying to yourself to do it.
Jesus is showing us how to follow God’s will when it is tough, and we would prefer another way to accomplish whatever it is God wants us to accomplish.
To do God’s will, we have to go a little further. We must go further into the relationship with God. We will need to pray more than we usually do. We will need to seek God’s will harder than we normally do.
When you know that to obey God is going to be tougher than normal we will need to go further into the garden with God than others.
Jesus is showing us to do God’s will when it’s difficult we will need to go further into our relationship with God, further in prayer, further emotionally, further into our own garden of Gethsemane.
To do God’s will, we have to go a little deeper. Our relationship with God needs to go deeper than it is. Our relationship with God needs to be both childlike and adultlike.
To do God’s will, we must be willing to suffer. Our instinct is to flee suffering, but we must remember that even in the middle of suffering, God’s will is being done. There will be those times when God will lead you away from suffering or around suffering because of wise decisions.
However, there will be those times when God will lead us straight into suffering because the center of God’s will is in the center of that suffering.
There is something for us to learn and do in that season of suffering. It’s in the middle of that suffering where we will grow the most and God will be glorified the greatest and it’s there the best victories are won. Jesus understood this when He faced the crucifixion.
For the follower of Jesus, every trial of suffering is an opportunity to grow in our relationship with God and to deepen our understanding of who it is we are following.
Suffering creates an opportunity to see God work in our lives in a uniquely personal way that demonstrates His compassion, His comfort, His mercy, His kindness, His strength, His wisdom, and His loving kindness. Suffering is a divine tool that chisels selfishness off of us so others can see Jesus in us.
Jesus prayed that, if it were possible, He wanted God to remove the awful hour He was about to face. But then, Jesus cries out to God everything is possible for us.
To do God’s will or may cause great suffering. But our obedience to follow the Father’s will demonstrates our love for Him and our love for others.
The best place for us to be is in the center of God’s will even if that means being in the center of suffering. It’s there we are able to glorify God and be a blessing to others.
To do God’s will, we must be willing to die to self. In some way, God assured Jesus that this is the only way. There is no other way. Jesus would need to face the awful hour ahead of Him and drink the cup of suffering. Jesus comes out of that prayer time with God steady and strong and ready to face all that sin, hell, and God’s wrath would pour on Him.
Jesus was honest in His prayers to the Father. He demonstrated His need both verbally and physically. Jesus showed us an essential aspect of genuine prayer when He shared His agony with the Father in humility and honesty.
Jesus offered Himself to do whatever the Father wills and not just what was easiest. As we pray, we need to follow our Lord's example of genuine prayer, honesty, humility, and submission.
While jesus was on earth, not only did He teach us how to pray, He also demonstrated how to pray in His own personal walk with the Father.
Jesus recognizes two crucial realities. First, God can do anything He wants to do. He is God, the sovereign ruler of all things. Second, Jesus knows that His life must be governed by God's will and not His own.
The whole of human salvation history hinges on Jesus following through on one heart felt phrase from His lips. I want your will to be done, not mine.
In a parallel way, our future is also determined by our following our Savior's example and saying, Father, I want your will to be done, not mine!!!
Father thank You for this day and we come before You recognizing Your majesty and our need. Lord let Your abundant blessings flow from the windows of heaven over my friend and family today. Lord You are the glorious God of all creation, the Father of all peoples, and the Sovereign Lord of all nations. Lord we come on our knees, offering ourselves to You. Lord please use us in the ways that bring You glory and ensure that we are drawn ever closer to You in character and compassion. Lord we want so much to mean the following words just as You did, Not my will, but Your will, dear Father be done. Daddy we love You amen. Be a blessing. Love ya !
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