WELCOME
Jenni Valencia
He went a little farther and fell on His face, and prayed, saying, 'O My Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from Me; nevertheless, not as I will, but as You will.' (Matthew 26:39)
Many of us that have older siblings grow up trying to be like them. Some parents place expectations on children by saying, "Why can't you be more like your sister?" or "Follow your brother's good example." A child might become disheartened when he fails to live up to his parent's expectations. He might feel like he is not good enough. So it is with the child of God. We are to be Christ-like. (1 Corinthians 11:1) We are to follow his perfect example. (John 13:15-17) Though we try, we are constantly missing the mark! (Romans 3:23) I don't know about you, but sometimes I get discouraged. How will I live up to these expectations? Jesus is God! How can I be like Him? When these doubts creep in, I find comfort in the focus on Christ's humanity found in Matthew.
Then Jesus came with them to a place called Gethsemane, and said to the disciples, "Sit here while I go and pray over there." And He took with Him Peter and the two sons of Zebedee, and He began to be sorrowful and deeply distressed. Then He said to them, "My soul is exceedingly sorrowful, even to death. Stay here and watch with Me." He went a little farther and fell on His face, and prayed, saying, "O My Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from Me; nevertheless, not as I will, but as You will." (Matthew 26: 36-39)
In a time of sorrow and stress, Jesus needed to pray to the Father just as we need to call upon Him.
And being in agony, He prayed more earnestly. Then His sweat became like great drops of blood falling down to the ground. Like Christ, we pray to the Father when we are in distress. (Luke 22:44)
In my distress I called upon the LORD, And cried out to my God; He heard my voice from His temple, And my cry came before Him, even to His ears. (Psalm 18:6)
During a difficult time, Jesus sought compassion from His brethren just as we also seek compassion and encouragement from our brethren. (vs 37) Even in this time of extreme anxiety, Jesus, who had the power to walk away unharmed, surrendered his will to the Father. (vs 39)
And He who sent Me is with Me. The Father has not left Me alone, for I always do those things that please Him. (John 8:29)
We must likewise surrender our will to the Father. (Ecclesiastes 12:13) Meditating on Matthew 26:36-39 not only gives me comfort because of Christ's humanity, but it also reminds me that He paid our debt! (Isaiah 53) Yes, we should continue striving to be like Jesus. Yes, we will fall short, but fortunately we have been given a promise that our continuous striving will not be in vain:
But if we walk in the light as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanses us from all sin. (1 John 1:7)
All Scripture is taken from the NKJ Version. Copyright 1982 by Thomas Nelson,Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
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