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WHERE'S YOUR GETHSEMANE?
MATTHEW 26:36- 46
36 Then Jesus went with his disciples to a place called Gethsemane, and he said to them, "Sit here while I go over there and pray." 37 He took Peter and the two sons of Zebedee along with him, and he began to be sorrowful and troubled. 38 Then he said to them, "My soul is overwhelmed with sorrow to the point of death. Stay here and keep watch with me." 39 Going 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." 40 Then 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." 42 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." 43 When he came back, he again found them sleeping, because their eyes were heavy. 44 So he left them and went away once more and prayed the third time, saying the same thing. 45 Then he returned to the disciples and said to them, "Are you still sleeping and resting? Look, the hour is near, and the Son of Man is betrayed into the hands of sinners. 46 Rise, let us go! Here comes my betrayer!"
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How do you handle situations where God wants you to do something you don't want to do? Perhaps God is calling you to hang in there and work hard to preserve a marriage that is on the rocks. Or perhaps he's asking you to do your job with excellence when the pay is low and the appreciation is lower. Whatever your situation in life, God calls you --- and all of us --- to face situations where obedience is the hardest route. On such occasions we often look for a detour, a way around the hard parts of life.
So did Jesus. Does that surprise you? It shouldn't. Even though he was fully God, he was a man, just like you. His crises point had a name; Gethsemane. In that garden, just outside of Jerusalem, Jesus prayed two things. He first asked if the "cup," the figurative goblet that contained the sins of the world and their consequences, could be taken away. This symbol of deep sorrow and suffering represented the weight of sin that Jesus would pay for through his crucifixion on our behalf. Second, he agreed to submit to his Father's will.
While there is no comparison between the tough times we face today and the one-of-a-kind agony and separation from God that awaited Jesus Christ on the cross, we can learn a crucial lesson in submission to God's will from Jesus' prayer and actions in his darkest hour. Is there a Gethsemane in your life today? Is there something of vital concern or hope that God has asked you to die to, or completely surrender to him?
Whatever the challenge, remember that Jesus has already been there. He knew the difficulty that was coming and prayed earnestly about it; but when the time came, he completely surrendered to God's will. As you prayerfully consider what this means for you, know that as the Father was with his Son in that garden, so he is with you now, ready and willing to help you through your personal Gethsemane.
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