Today's Scripture
Mark 14: 32-42 Why God, Why?
32 They went to a place called Gethsemane; and he said to his disciples, “Sit here while I pray.” 33 He took with him Peter and James and John, and began to be distressed and agitated. 34 And he said to them, “I am deeply grieved, even to death; remain here, and keep awake.” 35 And going a little farther, he threw himself on the ground and prayed that, if it were possible, the hour might pass from him. 36 He said, “Abba, Father, for you all things are possible; remove this cup from me; yet, not what I want, but what you want.” 37 He came and found them sleeping; and he said to Peter, “Simon, are you asleep? Could you not keep awake one hour? 38 Keep awake and pray that you may not come into the time of trial; the spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak.” 39 And again he went away and prayed, saying the same words. 40 And once more he came and found them sleeping, for their eyes were very heavy; and they did not know what to say to him. 41 He came a third time and said to them, “Are you still sleeping and taking your rest? Enough! The hour has come; the Son of Man is betrayed into the hands of sinners. 42 Get up, let us be going. See, my betrayer is at hand.”
RJ's Devotion
What the passage says
V. 32-36 Jesus brings his disciples to the garden, while he prayed out of distress.
V. 37-38 However, the disciples were not able to join him in the prayer and slept instead.
V. 39-42 He went back and forth in prayer, and after the third time, he was ready to accept God’s will.
What does the passage mean to me/us?
As shortly mentioned in yesterday’s devotion, prayer is a time to ask God’s will, not ours.
Prayer is a time to, yes, present our will to God, but also a time where we wrestle to seek God’s will. There should be more emphasis on the later.
It takes much time and intention to have God’s will established through our prayers. It took Jesus’ sweat turn into blood, and serval times of prayer to reach that point. I believe that his prayer continued up to the hills of Calvary.
On the other hand, the disciples were in deep slumber. They did not go through the process of seeking God’s will, despite Jesus asking them. Jesus asked them to be in prayer with him, by saying, “I feel bad enough right now to die. Stay here and keep vigil with me” (v. 33 The Message). They missed the opportunity to experience the beauty of prayer; surrendering your will for God’s will, which was the foundation of Jesus’ sacrificial love.
When ourselves or the church is in slumber, we are not able to follow God’s will. Our wills and needs easily precede God’s will.
When our needs come first, we are prone to make wrong decisions. Decisions not only contrary to God’s will but also devastate our lives.
When we put our need first, we become the last.
We need to remember Jesus’ teaching.
In various accounts, he says that God’s will be done through laying down our thoughts and needs.
He says, “For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake will find it.” (Matthew 16:25)
We also need to understand that in God’s eyes the first and last can be reversed. Jesus also says, “Here it is again, the Great Reversal: many of the first ending up last, and the last first” (Matthew 20:16 The Message).
When we strive to put ourselves first, we will not be ‘Great,’ but on the contrary; lose.
Prayer
Lord, not my will, but may your will be done.
In Christ Name, we pray, AMEN
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