YOUR WILL BE DONE

Matt. 26: 42  Again he left them and prayed, “My Father! If this cup cannot be taken away until I drink it, your will be done.”  NLT

     We don’t often think about it, but Jesus had a real spiritual battle to win before He went to the cross.  We know He knew what awaited Him and He was determined to go through with it, but when it came down to crunch time, He had to work through His will to get it aligned up with God’s will.  Jesus went to Gethsemane knowing that He had to spend some intense time alone with God.  He was about to endure the most excruciating time of pain and suffering ever known before.  As a human being, He was not eager to jump into it and do it.

      In the Garden He prayed for a long time.  We don’t know how long it was, but Scripture tells us that He had at least three sessions of it with God.  Twice He went to Peter, James and John for support, but they were just too tired and could not stay awake.  The third time He prayed, He got where He needed to be.  He was totally yielded and committed to doing God’s will and go through whatever suffering it entailed.

      The physical suffering was known by man.  Crucifixion was a common form of punishment for criminals.  It was not something anyone wanted to endure.  As bad as it was, Jesus knew the spiritual suffering was going to be worse.  He, God in the flesh, had never tasted sin in any form.  He had always been perfectly holy and now He was going to take on himself the full weight of sin’s punishment for all people of all time.

     We, too, must spend whatever time we need to, to be willing to submit to God’s will for us.  We sometimes butt heads with God because we don’t want to do what He wants us to do.  In order to be at peace with God and where we need to be in our relationship with Him, we must pray as well, “Not my will, but Yours be done.” 

     We, too, must spend whatever time we need to in prayer, to be willing to submit to God’s will for us.  We sometimes butt heads with God because we don’t want to do what He wants us to do.  In order to be at peace with God and where we need to be in our relationship with Him, we must pray as well, “Not my will, but Yours be done.”  Whatever time it takes, take it and pray it through.  You will be glad you did.