The Garden of Surrender
Your Nightly Prayer
By Lynette Kittle
TONIGHT'S 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.”—Matthew 26:39
SOMETHING TO PONDER
How many of us love a garden setting, with its peaceful ambiance set among lovely plants, flowers, and trees, a place where we can rest and disconnect from the world around us for a while? Jesus, like us, seemed to seek out places of quiet, peaceful solace, where He could pray and spend time with His heavenly Father. So it’s no wonder He would visit a garden on the night before His crucifixion. In more detail, Luke 22:44 describes Jesus’ suffering as He prayed, “And being in anguish, He prayed more earnestly, and His sweat was like drops of blood falling to the ground.”
Has God ever led us to accomplish something in our lives that we would rather pass on, something that even the thought and consideration of facing it brings us to our knees, seeming too painful and impossible to face on our own, let alone to be asked to experience it publicly in a shameful manner? Most of us have probably never sweated drops of blood, even in the most distressing and stressful situations in our lives, because what Jesus endured on the cross came with a cost none of us could pay: to surrender Himself completely and humbly before sinful men to accomplish the perfect will of God, as a sacrifice for the sin of mankind. As Philippians 2: 6-8 describes:
“Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be used to His own advantage; rather, He made himself nothing by taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to death—even death on a cross!”
The road Jesus faced to the cross was the ultimate humiliation, being mocked, beaten, and killed by His creation. As Colossians 1:15-17 explains.
“The Son is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. For in Him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things have been created through Him and for Him. He is before all things, and in Him all things hold together.”
As well, even though He fully surrendered to God’s perfect will in the Garden, in His suffering, pain, and sorrow, He did ask God again if the cup might be taken from Him. Jesus experienced a human emotion many of us can relate to: asking God one more time if it’s possible to avoid facing something that feels too much to endure. Yet, Jesus, even though He asked His Father one more time, fully surrendered to God’s perfect will for His life, and even in the midst of suffering, did not waver in His willingness to do it.
YOUR NIGHTLY PRAYER
Dear Father,
Our hearts are full of gratitude to Jesus, for fully surrendering to Your will so that we might be saved and experience eternal life with You. Help us, Lord, to follow in His humble footsteps to lay our lives down in full surrender to Your perfect will for our lives, even when the road ahead of us is painful and leads to suffering and sorrow. Empower us, Lord, today, and every day, to humbly and willfully yield to You in all things in our lives. In Jesus’ name,
Amen.
THREE THINGS TO MEDITATE UPON
1. Has God asked or led you to follow Him in His perfect will for your life on a road you would rather avoid? If so, how are you responding to His leadership?
2. Do you relate to Jesus’ agony in following God’s perfect will for His life? If so, in what situations and ways are you relating?
3. In following God’s will for yourself in a way that seems too hard and painful, what has been the outcome and results in your life, if any? Afterward, do you have a clearer understanding of what God is at work to accomplish in your life?
Reflect on tonight’s prayer and share how God met you there. Join the Your Nightly Prayer discussion on the Crosswalk Forum.
Lynette Kittle is married with four daughters. She enjoys writing about faith, marriage, parenting, relationships, and life. Her writing has been published by Focus on the Family, Decision, Today’s Christian Woman, kirkcameron.com, Ungrind.org, StartMarriageRight.com, and more. She has a M.A. in Communication from Regent University and serves as associate producer for Soul Check TV.
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