“Father, if you are willing, please take this cup of suffering away from me. Yet I want your will to be done, not mine.” Then an angel from heaven appeared and strengthened him. He prayed more fervently, and he was in such agony of spirit that his sweat fell to the ground like great drops of blood. Luke 22:42-44 (NLT)
Even while praying in the Garden of Gethsemane, Jesus knew He was about to be betrayed, denied and rejected by His disciples and followers. Trials, torture and death by crucifixion were in His immediate future. He expressed His concerns to God but He still put the father’s will before His own. The verse says, “Then an angel from heaven appeared and strengthened him” so he might be able to go forward with His mission.
In the darkest hours of Jesus’ suffering, as He hung on the cross, Jesus cried out the opening words of Psalm 22, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” Although much has been suggested regarding the meaning of this phrase, we know with certainty it shows the agony Christ felt as he experienced separation from God. Here we see the Father turn away from the Son as Jesus bore the full weight of all our sins, without exception. Billy Graham said it this way “He was without sin, for He was God in human flesh. But as He died all our sins were placed on Him, and He became the final and complete sacrifice for our sins. And in that moment He was banished from the presence of God, for sin cannot exist in God’s presence.” However, despite the enormous degree of pain and suffering, both physical and spiritual, Jesus did not question God’s Will.
Then Jesus, calling out with a loud voice, said, “Father, into your hands I commit my spirit!” And having said this he breathed his last. Luke 23:46 (ESV)
Jesus was truly committed to His mission. He was doing God’s will, despite the suffering he would endure, to save us from our sins so we might never experience eternal separation from God. Imagine such a powerful love! John 3:16 tells us “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life.” We are not worthy of this kind of love, but He loves us anyway. Rejoice in the Lord, for He has given up ALL for us!
Dear Heavenly Father, thank you that we, like Jesus, can bring all our fears and concerns to you. And thank you for giving us the strength to endure whatever pains and struggles we may suffer, especially during the uncertainties of the current worldwide pandemic. Provide us the wisdom to understand your will and the strength to commit to it as Jesus did. We cannot thank you enough for all the love you show us. Guide us to share this love with others. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.
