Thursday, April 6, 2023
Our Father Knows Best
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.” (Matthew 26:39 NLT)
From the moment of His birth, Jesus lived in the shadow of the cross. When Joseph and Mary dedicated Him in the temple, the prophet Simeon said to Mary, “A sword will pierce your very soul” (Luke 2:35 NLT).
Simeon predicted what Jesus would go through and what Mary would experience as she watched her son hang on the cross.
Jesus knew this was coming. And He began to aggressively address it at a place called Caesarea Philippi. He was very specific about it.
Matthew’s Gospel says, “From then on Jesus began to tell his disciples plainly that it was necessary for him to go to Jerusalem, and that he would suffer many terrible things at the hands of the elders, the leading priests, and the teachers of religious law. He would be killed, but on the third day he would be raised from the dead” (Matthew 16:21 NLT).
Jesus knew, worst of all, that He would experience separation from the heavenly Father as He bore all the sins of the world on the cross.
So, in the Garden of Gethsemane Jesus prayed, “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” (Matthew 26:39 NLT).
That is a way of saying, “Lord, if I am about to pray anything that is outside of Your will, I am asking You to overrule it. I know that Your plan is better than mine.” Jesus died fulfilling the plan and purpose of God.
Every Christian will come to their own Gethsemane, a time when they grapple with the hard issues of life. It is during those times that we must say, “Lord, I want Your will to be done, not mine.” Our heavenly Father knows best.
Copyright © 2023 by Harvest Ministries. All rights reserved.
For more relevant and biblical teaching from Pastor Greg Laurie, go to www.harvest.org
and
Listen to Greg Laurie's daily broadcast on OnePlace.com and weekly podcast on LifeAudio.com.
Watch Greg Laurie's weekly television broadcast on LightSource.com.
The book of Revelation is one of the most fascinating and misunderstood books in the Bible. In The Revelation Answer Book, respected prophecy teacher Mark Hitchcock walks through key questions about Revelation in a clear and engaging Q&A format. You’ll explore topics like the mark of the beast, the identity of the 144,000, the Antichrist, the Tribulation, and the return of Jesus, all with solid biblical insight and a focus on hope. Request your copy this month with your gift to Harvest Ministries.
