~
CHAPTER 5 ~
YOUR
WILL BE DONE
(Matthew
26:30-46)
THE STRUGGLE WAS REAL FOR JESUS. Tears
streamed down as Jesus prayed to His Father in heaven, “If it be your will, let
this cup of suffering be removed. Yet not my will but thine be done.”
Prayers and tears go hand in hand when
you’re in a struggle. Your struggles may not compare to Jesus’. He was brutally
beaten and crucified. But your struggle is real. You feel beaten by life. You
feel scorned and persecuted. You feel like people around misunderstand you and
are ready to hang you on a cross.
You may not even be struggling over your
own problem; it may be the struggle of a child, grandchild, friend, or spouse
that has you in tears.
Crying is a natural emotional response
to pain. It’s that time when you can’t contain yourself and the inner emotions
spills over. We sometimes cry when we’re happy too, but in the case of
struggles, crying can represent a release or surrender.
Jesus, in the garden, released tears of
fear and anguish. He was so filled with agony at the thought of the torture He
was about to endure. It was overwhelming to him. He was God in a physical body
and that physical body was struggling.
Life struggles can weigh us down to the
point of absolute fear and anguish, but Jesus, in His moment of human weakness,
gave us a model.
As the Son of God, He knew full well,
the joy that was set before him. He knew that He would destroy death and
conquer Hell. He knew that His struggle would transform into success. That He
would destroy death and conquer Hell for all eternity. He knew that His struggle
would bring salvation, healing, and transformation.
In scripture, Jesus prayed three times,
“Father If it is possible, let this cup of suffering be taken away.”
In the end, though, He said, “Not my
will, but thine be done.” He surrendered the struggled to God.
Know this, your struggle is producing
faith, patience, and perseverance.
Though you are crying tears of fear and anxiety now, keep your eyes on
Jesus. He is the author and finisher of your faith.
Sometimes we think we know the right
path and we latch onto it with all we’ve got. We think, this is how it’s going to work out, or this would be the best outcome.
Even though we’re struggling with to make things work out the way we want them
too, we still persist.
Jesus released the struggle. He surrendered
to God, not my will, but thine. Have
you surrendered the struggle? Or are you holding on to it for dear life,
because you believe you know what’s best?
In the midnight hours, when you are
awake crying, God hears you. You’re not in the garden of struggle alone. The
father is with you. Regardless of how many friends have fallen asleep, God is
awake 24/7 and hears your cries for help and he has already commanded victory
from your struggle.
The struggle is real, but it cannot
destroy you. No struggle can keep you bound, because Jesus has set you free. Surrender
the struggle to God. Jesus endured it so that you don’t have to remain in it.
Pray like
Jesus prayed. Know that the same Father
Jesus prayed to is available and listening for your cries today. Pray, not my will in this struggle, Lord, but
yours be done.
The LORD hears those who cry out, and he
delivers them from all their distress. (Psalm 34:17)
Jesus, our model, released the struggle. He took his
eyes off the struggle and set His heart on the joy that was waiting for Him
after it was all over. Cry your tears, but not without hope. Take your eyes off
of the struggle and set your heart on the joy that is waiting for you when it
is all over.
Because of the joy awaiting him, he endured the
cross, disregarding its shame. Now he is seated in the place of honor beside
God's throne. –Hebrews 12:2
He’d taken along Peter, James and John with him to
the Garden of Gethsemane to pray, but they’d fallen asleep. “Couldn’t you watch
with me even one hour?”
“Keep watch and pray, so that you will not give in
to temptation. For the spirit is willing, but the body is weak!”
Chapter From, "The Struggle Is Real But So Is Your God" Releasing March 2017
