On Sunday evening we continued to see from Matthew 26 that the events leading up to Jesus’ death were all part of God’s plan to save many people. God was working out His purposes even as Jesus was betrayed by Judas, denied by Peter, and deserted by all the disciples.
Jesus knows everything that is about to happen to Him and as he anticipates the cross, we read in verse 38:
“My soul is overwhelmed with sorrow to the point of death”
And in verse 39:
“My Father, if it is possible, may this cup be taken from me.”
We see here a wonderful model for us as we are troubled and overwhelmed by life. What do we do when we cannot see the way ahead, or we cannot understand our circumstances? We pray like Jesus. Jesus, without sinning, expressed His desires and feelings to His Father, but then He was able to submit Himself to His Father’s will.
How was He able to submit? He knew His Father loved Him and even though it was not possible to avoid the cross in order for us to be saved, He could trust His Father had something better in store. By submitting, Jesus saved His people, and defeated Satan and death.
There may be many things that we are praying for, sometimes for years, and we cannot understand why God has not answered in the way that we are asking. Often it might seem obvious to us that the thing we are asking for is good, right and in line with scripture – surely God will answer that! What are we to do? Keep praying! Know that God is good. Keep trusting that he has a better plan and do His will by obeying Him.
James Howlett