What Jesus Did : Matthew 26:39-44 - The Father's Will
by Phil Ware
The Father's Will - Matthew 26:39-44
Then Jesus walked a little farther away from them. Jesus fell to the ground and prayed, "My Father, if it is possible, don't give me this cup {of suffering}. But do what you want, not what I want." Then Jesus went back to his followers. Jesus found his followers sleeping. Jesus said to Peter, "You men could not stay awake with me for one hour? Stay awake and pray for strength against temptation. Your spirit wants to do what is right. But your body is weak." Then Jesus went away a second time and prayed, "My Father, if it is not possible for this {painful} thing to be taken from me, and if I must do it, then I pray that what you want will be done." Then Jesus went back to the followers. Again Jesus found them sleeping. Their eyes were very tired. So Jesus left them and went away one more time and prayed. This third time he prayed, he said the same thing. (ERV) Full TextKey Thought
To some, calling God "my Father" sounds pretty "chummy." In reality, to call God "my Father" means to surrender our will to the work of the Sovereign God of the universe and all eternity. Jesus taught us to not only call God Abba Father, he also showed us what it means to be God's child. His frank, open, and heartfelt conversations and prayers with God remind us of God's desire for honest intimacy with us. This works, however, only when we are aware that he is God and we are not. We are here to obey and do his will. He has promised, and demonstrated in Jesus, that if we will trust our life's work to him, he will not forget us or leave us to decay. But he does call on us to follow him, no matter the consequences in the short run. When we do, victory awaits! Jesus has shown us that the agony of submission gives way to the joy of vindication and victory!
Today's Prayer
O Master and King of the Universe, thank you for allowing me to call you Abba Father. You are worthy of so much more praise than I could ever offer. Please accept my life, and the obedience to your will that I offer, as my sacrifice of thanks and praise to you. In Jesus' name I pray. Amen.
Today's Verses in Context
Then Jesus went with his followers to a place called Gethsemane. Jesus said to his followers, "Sit here while I go there and pray." Jesus told Peter and the two sons of Zebedee to come with him. Then Jesus began to be very sad and troubled. Jesus said to Peter and the two sons of Zebedee, "My soul is full of sorrow. My heart is breaking with sadness. Stay awake here with me and wait." Then Jesus walked a little farther away from them. Jesus fell to the ground and prayed, "My Father, if it is possible, don't give me this cup {of suffering}. But do what you want, not what I want." Then Jesus went back to his followers. Jesus found his followers sleeping. Jesus said to Peter, "You men could not stay awake with me for one hour? Stay awake and pray for strength against temptation. Your spirit wants to do what is right. But your body is weak." Then Jesus went away a second time and prayed, "My Father, if it is not possible for this {painful} thing to be taken from me, and if I must do it, then I pray that what you want will be done." Then Jesus went back to the followers. Again Jesus found them sleeping. Their eyes were very tired. So Jesus left them and went away one more time and prayed. This third time he prayed, he said the same thing. Then Jesus went back to the followers and said, "You are still sleeping and resting? The time has come for the Son of Man to be given to sinful people.-- Matthew 26:36-45 (ERV)
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