March 10
Jesus came with them to a place called Gethsemane, and said to the disciples, "Sit here while I go and pray over there." - Matthew 26:36
The betrayal and arrest of Jesus was preceded by an extended time of prayer in the Garden of Gethsemane. When He stepped out of the garden to present Himself to His enemies, Jesus had been alone, praying and agonizing for hours, wrestling with the will of His Father for His life, sweating what seemed to be great drops of blood in His effort. Throughout His agony He received the personal ministration of angels who helped Him to renew His strength, and He overcame the supreme temptation of the enemy to defy God’s purpose, choosing instead to go to the Cross. His humble submission to His Father’s will must have given Him a mantle of power that cloaked Him for the nine-hour journey that would take Him through six different trials, the inhumane cruelty of physical torture, the ultimate rejection by those He loved, and the climax of His own crucifixion and death on a Roman cross.
How is it that you and I think we can make it through the grueling journey of life without that same humble submission to the Father?
From Just Give Me Jesus
