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Read Mark 14:32-52
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32 And they went to a place called Gethsemane. And he said to his disciples, "Sit here while I pray." 33 And he took with him Peter and James and John, and began to be greatly distressed and troubled. 34 And he said to them, "My soul is very sorrowful, even to death. Remain here and watch." 35 And going a little farther, he fell on the ground and prayed that, if it were possible, the hour might pass from him. 36 And he said, "Abba, Father, all things are possible for you. Remove this cup from me. Yet not what I will, but what you will." 37 And he came and found them sleeping, and he said to Peter, "Simon, are you asleep? Could you not watch one hour? 38 Watch and pray that you may not enter into temptation. The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak." 39 And again he went away and prayed, saying the same words. 40 And again he came and found them sleeping, for their eyes were very heavy, and they did not know what to answer him. 41 And he came the third time and said to them, "Are you still sleeping and taking your rest? It is enough; the hour has come. The Son of Man is betrayed into the hands of sinners. 42 Rise, let us be going; see, my betrayer is at hand." 43 And immediately, while he was still speaking, Judas came, one of the twelve, and with him a crowd with swords and clubs, from the chief priests and the scribes and the elders. 44 Now the betrayer had given them a sign, saying, "The one I will kiss is the man. Seize him and lead him away under guard." 45 And when he came, he went up to him at once and said, "Rabbi!" And he kissed him. 46 And they laid hands on him and seized him. 47 But one of those who stood by drew his sword and struck the servant of the high priest and cut off his ear. 48 And Jesus said to them, "Have you come out as against a robber, with swords and clubs to capture me? 49 Day after day I was with you in the temple teaching, and you did not seize me. But let the Scriptures be fulfilled." 50 And they all left him and fled. 51 And a young man followed him, with nothing but a linen cloth about his body. And they seized him, 52 but he left the linen cloth and ran away naked.
The weight of the coming cross was bearing down on Jesus. Mark tells us Jesus began to be greatly distressed and troubled. Speaking to Peter, James, and John, Jesus says, “My soul is very sorrowful.” So, he prays. For the three hours leading up to His betrayal and arrest, he prays. The Son needed his Father. He pleads for the cup of God’s wrath which he was about to drink on the cross to be removed. But he also prayed for the Father’s will, not his own. The Father’s will was not to remove the cup for Jesus. It was still to go to the cross, but in this time of prayer the Father gave his Son strength for what he was about to endure.
Jesus tells his disciples to “Watch and pray…for the spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak.” So often we look at prayer as a spiritual discipline that “good Christians” do, and we struggle to pray as we know we “should.” But if, as disciples, we are called to take up our cross and follow Jesus, then prayer is a great invitation. It is another outpouring of God’s grace. God’s word tells us that, as disciples of Christ, “we face death all day long” (Psalm 44:22, Romans 8:36), that “Satan prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour” (1 Peter 5:8). Prayer is not about appeasing God. We need it as a disciple of Jesus in the face of things that bear down on us, the failings of our own body and sinful flesh, and the attacks of Satan. Jesus tells us that because he is the Son of God and we are his disciples, we too get to turn to the Father as our Father.
Prayer
Father, all things are possible for you. (Insert a prayer of need, deliverance from something weighing heavy on your mind). Yet not what I will, but your will be done. Give me strength for today, be with me always. Amen