Day 16 - 21 Days of Prayer Devotional

21 Days of Prayer DAY 16 - Matthew 26:38-40 38 He told them, "My soul is crushed with grief to the point of death. Stay here and keep watch with me." 39 He went on a little farther and bowed with his face to the ground, praying, "My Father! If it is possible, let this cup of suffering be taken away from me. Yet I want your will to be done, not mine." 40 Then he returned to the disciples and found them asleep. He said to Peter, "Couldn't you watch with me even one hour? CONSIDER THE CONTEXT Jesus was but hours away from some of the most brutal torture any man could have faced. He knew that his life would end but not before hours and hours of questioning, beating, scourging and finally being nailed to the cross. He went to the Garden of Gethsemane to prepare himself spiritually. The burden of what was to come was so great Jesus was overwhelmed to the point of death. In His prayer, Jesus put the emphasis on the right person - not Himself and His desires, but the will of The Father. CONSIDER THE IMPLICATIONS There is no doubt that Jesus was concerned about the hours of suffering that were to come. But that might not have been the worst of what overwhelmed Jesus in the Garden. You see, Jesus knew that the Father's will was that He, Jesus would pay the price for all man's sin. That meant that Jesus was to be the first and last human being that God the Father would turn His back upon. Think how that must have wracked Jesus to the core. His own Father, the very person Jesus stood side by side with and created all the universe, was now going to temporarily abandon His own Son so that all mankind could find their way to Him. No wonder Jesus ended up sweating blood during His prayer time in the Garden. Now with that in mind, think how much less the battle is for us to give our will over to God's will. Very few of us will ever be in a position to have to die a cruel death as part of God's Plan. Not a single one of us will ever have to face the prospect of giving into the Will of God that calls for us to be abandoned by Him. That, thankfully, was done once for all in the person of Jesus Christ. CONSIDER THE PRAYER Jesus, thank you for surrendering your will to such a horrible thing as being abandoned by your Father so that we could gain access into your glorious family. Thank you for showing us that surrendering our will to the Father's is something that can be done and is rewarded with an even greater closeness to You. Forgive me when I insist on my will over yours. Forgive me when I'm too weak to choose Your will over mine. Now God, please give me the strength to want to serve your will in all my life. Help Coastline to recognize Your will for this community and for the leadership to follow through on surrendering the Church's will for the greater will of the Father. Thank you for never leaving us or abandoning us. Thank you for showing the lost that they too can come in and find hope, forgiveness, love and compassion through the people you have called Your own at Coastline. Amen.