Is He Listening?
39Going 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."
40Then he returned to his disciples and found them sleeping. "Could you men not 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 body is weak."
42He 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."
The Death of Jesus
45From the sixth hour until the ninth hour darkness came over all the land. 46About the ninth hour Jesus cried out in a loud voice, "Eloi, Eloi,[a] lama sabachthani?"—which means, "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?"[
Bee's Thoughts:
It is never easy to say, "not as I will, but as you will" (v39) or "if it is not possible for this cup to be taken away unless I drink it, may your will be done." (v42).
Even though the Lord Jesus prayed that prayer, but when He was finally separated from His Father He cried, "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?" We can feel His agony of having to be separated from the One He loved.
Can we imagine the pain of having to leave someone we love very much? It's a very difficult decision to make, indeed. Yet Jesus did that. He did that for two reasons:
1. to obey the One He loved
2. because He loved us and that's the only way to save us
Dear Lord,
Thank You for loving us so much that while we were yet sinners You died for us. Thank You for teaching me the lesson on obedience and love. When I know what You want me to do let me be willing to say, "not as I will, but as you will" eve if it is painful. For You know what's best for me and for our eternal purpose.
In Jesus' name I pray. Amen
Tommy's Thoughts:
Peter’s drowsiness gives us a good example of why God want us to be always watchful for the possibilities of temptation. Our failures to heed and defend ourselves from temptation attack, is often caused by our lack of alertness and prayers, allowing the enemy to seep in when we least expected. Temptation strikes where and when we are most vulnerable.
Prayer is our single most powerful weapon to fight temptation. It fortifies our defenses and gives us to discernment on the subtleties of our enemy tactics and be spiritually equipped to fight them effectively.
Dear Heavenly Father, thank You for reminding me to pay more attention to prayer. Thank You for teaching me to spend quiet times with You daily; to receive Your strength to help me defeat Satan’s power.
Though I do not yet know all the good plans You has set before me, teach me to trust You on that and always willing to submit to You. Lord, change me to be like Jesus and be able to learn to say “Yet not as I will, but as You will” in times of struggle and difficulties. In Jesus’ precious name, I pray, Amen.
