35 Then He went a little farther, fell to the ground, and began to pray that if it were possible, the hour might pass from Him. 36 And He said, “Abba, Father! All things are possible for You. Take this cup away from Me. Nevertheless, not what I will, but what You will.”
Mark 14:34 and 35 HCSB
Have you endured acute anguish or severe trauma? So extreme that it caused you to fall to the ground in prayer?
Our Savior has.
Have you endured such deep distress in prayer, that you sweated tear drops of blood?
Our Savior has (Luke 22:44).
Have you ever surrendered something huge to God, only to seize it back again?
Our Savior has.
Three times (Matthew 14: 36, 39 and 41).
All of these incidents happened in a garden called Gethsemane, on the night of Christ’s betrayal and arrest. As the disciples dozed under a dark sky, umbrellaed by Cyprus and Olive trees, Jesus petitioned and pleaded with His Father. From the recesses of His soul, he wrestled with His maker.
Supreme Surrender
As I continue my Surrender journey of 2018, the story of Jesus in the garden captivates and inspires me. A surrender story. You see, as God, Christ knew what lay ahead: supreme agony. More persecution and pain than any human had or would ever experience. God’s plan lay solely on the shoulders of His son. And our Savior grappled with submission, begging His Father to allow Him a release. Yet ultimately, He submitted and prayed what author Jan Karon calls “The Prayer That Never Fails”: Thy Will Be Done.
Our Savior chose us.
Jesus, our model of supreme surrender, catches us when we fall down in prayer as He did. He holds our tears of anguish, and He patiently understands our struggle to yield. He loves us. He gets us. We are His chosen and beloved.
How can it be?
My friend, is it time for you to lay down what needs laying down? Is it time to pray The Prayer That Never Fails? As you contemplate Christ’s surrender in the garden, allow His example of supreme surrender to guide and strengthen you.
The same power that lives in Him lives in you (see Romans 8:11).
Happy Easter Beloved! Revel in His love.
The battle is won. You may have thought it was won on Golgotha. It wasn’t. You may have thought the sign of victory is the empty tomb. It isn’t. The final battle was won in Gethsemane. And the sign of conquest is Jesus at peace in the Olive trees. For it was in the Garden that He made His decision He would rather go to hell for you than go to heaven without you.
Max Lucado, from the book, When Angels Were Silent
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