Hope for Hearts in Anguish
By Dawn Tolbert
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
I can’t imagine the stress Jesus felt in Matthew 26 as the seconds ticking away from His time on earth. He was fully God and knew all He’d soon suffer, but He was also fully human. Today’s verse makes this obvious. In it, we see God’s perfect Son, falling on His face, pressed down by the weight of the responsibility before Him.
He knew, in a way we never can, exactly what lay ahead. He faced not only physical pain, rejection, and humiliation, but also separation from the Father when He’d take on the sins of the world.
Our sins.
My sins.
Jesus’ prayer was honest: “If there’s any other way, Father, please.” When I pray, I’m often tempted to stop there, expressing how I want things to be. But Jesus surrendered completely, saying, “Yet not as I will, but as You will.”
He poured out His heart in anguish, but then affirmed His commitment to God’s redemptive plan.
Jesus submitted to the Father’s will so that we might be saved.
When I consider the price He paid for our salvation, I long to show Him that same honor and submission.
Dawn Tolbert is a contributor to Wholly Loved Ministries Daily Devotional, a Christ-follower who writes to honor God, thank Him for His goodness, and encourage readers by sharing her faith journey. She works in higher education public relations and is writing her first novel and her first book-length Bible study. She has earned a B.A. in Communication Studies and English (Gardner-Webb College), a M.A. in Professional Writing (Kennesaw State University), and an Ed.D. in Higher Education Leadership (Union University). She and her husband, Larry, live in Cedartown, Georgia, and serve actively in their church. Dawn blogs at dawntolbert.com.
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Originally published Friday, 24 February 2023.
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