In The Garden

• Why were Jesus’ disciples so unreliable?

• If you had been in the Garden of Gethsemane with Jesus that night, what would you have done when the soldiers came to arrest him?

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.”
Matthew 26:42

With the weight of the world pressing down on him in the hours before his arrest, Jesus asked his closest friends — Peter, James, and John—to accompany him to the Garden of Gethsemane. Jesus wanted to spend some time talking to his Father, and he asked his friends to keep watch while he prayed. Unfortunately, they couldn’t keep their eyes open.

The stress on Jesus was almost unbearable. He fell facedown to pray. He prayed so fervently that his sweat was like drops of blood. He asked God to take the cup from him. He prayed until he was ready to face what lay ahead. Then he allowed himself to be arrested and taken to trial.

In his time of torment, Jesus gave us a model of prayer that we can use when life feels as though it’s crashing down around us. He poured out his agony to his heavenly Father. He asked God to remove the situation he was about to face. Then he ended with the words, “May your will be done.”

No matter how extreme our situation may seem, the best strategy is always to pray for God’s will to be done.

PRAYER
Dear God, thank you for your Son’s example of faithfulness. Help us respond by praying and seeking your will when we face difficult situations. Amen.