Yet
not as I will, but as you will
Scripture:
Going a little
farther, he fell with his face to the ground and prayed, “My Father, if it is
possible, may this cup be taken from me. Yet not as I will, but
as you will.”40 Then he
returned to his disciples and found them sleeping. “Couldn’t you men keep
watch with me for one hour?” he asked
Peter. 41 “Watch and pray so that
you will not fall into temptation. The spirit is willing,
but the flesh is weak.”
42 He went away a second time and prayed, “My Father, if it is not
possible for this cup to be taken away unless I drink it, may your will be
done.”43 When he came
back, he again found them sleeping, because their eyes were heavy. 44 So he left them and went away once more
and prayed the third time, saying the same thing.
45 Then he returned to the disciples and
said to them, “Are you still sleeping and resting?
Look, the hour has come, and the Son of Man is delivered
into the hands of sinners. 46 Rise! Let us go! Here
comes my betrayer!” Matthew 26:39-46
Observation:
In His deep anguish and
sorrow, the Lord Jesus fell facedown to the ground and prayed “Abba Father
(Daddy), if it is possible, take this cup from me. Yet not as I will, but as
you will.” Three times the Lord went to His Father and prayed the same thing.
Three times upon returning to his disciples, he found them sleeping.
The word used by the Lord
here in prayer “Abba Father”, was a term of great intimacy that a son used to
call his father, like a child may typically call his “daddy”. How dreadful indeed
was the task ahead of Jesus, and he pleaded with God for another way. Yet in
spite of his feelings, the Lord submitted His will to the Father.
How disappointed the Lord
must have been with his disciples. They still could not sense what was just
about to happen. Being physically tired, they quickly fell asleep, leaving
Jesus to suffer and pray on His own. There was no encouragement from them
whatsoever.
Could you not keep watch
with me for one hour? Watch and pray so that you will not fall into temptation.
There are some important prayer principles here. “Watch” here in the Greek
means literally to stay awake and be alert. When one is tired, it is certainly
not an easy thing to force one’s self to stay awake. For some, there is coffee.
For others, they may walk around. In any case, the practice of staying awake
when needed is an important discipline that the Lord expected of His disciples.
While watching, the disciples were not just to do nothing, but to pray.
By watching and praying,
they would not fall into temptation. In this case, it was the temptation to
sleep. A short while later, it was the temptation to deny knowing Jesus.
Meditating on the words
“watch with me”, we note that this kind of “watching and praying” is not done
alone, but with other brothers and sisters, and even with the Lord Himself in
Heaven. As we yield ourselves to the Holy Spirit, He will teach us how and what
to pray.
Application:
Our Lord was reluctant to
go through with the difficult path given Him by His Father. In life too,
sometimes, God leads us through very difficult paths. Consider the hardships
faced by Joseph and David for example. Like Jesus, it is right for us to pour
out our feelings to our Father in Heaven. Father God, if possible, please let
me not go through this, yet not I will, but you will. Even in voicing our
reluctance, there is no sin, for in spite of all our feelings, we are still in
complete submission to God.
Watch and pray is an
important principle for us to remember. Continuous watching and praying every
night would probably wear us out too much especially in conjunction with a
working week, but there are times and perhaps seasons when we need to commit
certain days to watching and praying. During those times, we need to speak much
in tongues, yet also meditate in our minds to see what God may say to us and in
what areas to pray.
Prayer:
Praise You, Heavenly
Father, for Your excellent greatness and marvelous love for us. We thank You,
Father, that You lead us even through difficult paths for our own good and
learning. In times of trouble, we will call to You, O Lord. Give us Your
strength, and let us learn to be in submission to You even in such times.
Teach us, Lord to watch
and pray. Give us that discipline and self-control to pray that way even as You
lead us. Give us the opportunity and the strength to participate in such times
of prayer, whether individually or corporately. May Your name be blessed
forever O Lord. In Jesus name, Amen.
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