Matthew 26:36-44
36 Then Jesus went with them to the olive grove called Gethsemane, and he said, “Sit here while I go over there to pray.” 37 He took Peter and Zebedee’s two sons, James and John, and he became anguished and distressed. 38 He told them, “My soul is crushed with grief to the point of death. Stay here and keep watch with me.”
39 He went on a little farther and bowed with his face to the ground, praying, “My Father! If it is possible, let this cup of suffering be taken away from me. Yet I want your will to be done, not mine.”
40 Then he returned to the disciples and found them asleep. He said to Peter, “Couldn’t you watch with me even one hour? 41 Keep watch and pray, so that you will not give in to temptation. For the spirit is willing, but the body is weak!”
42 Then Jesus left them a second time and prayed, “My Father! If this cup cannot be taken away[a] unless I drink it, your will be done.” 43 When he returned to them again, he found them sleeping, for they couldn’t keep their eyes open.
44 So he went to pray a third time, saying the same things again.
Mark 14:32-36
32 They went to the olive grove called Gethsemane, and Jesus said, “Sit here while I go and pray.” 33 He took Peter, James, and John with him, and he became deeply troubled and distressed. 34 He told them, “My soul is crushed with grief to the point of death. Stay here and keep watch with me.”
35 He went on a little farther and fell to the ground. He prayed that, if it were possible, the awful hour awaiting him might pass him by. 36 “Abba, Father,”[a] he cried out, “everything is possible for you. Please take this cup of suffering away from me. Yet I want your will to be done, not mine.”
Luke 22:39-44
39 Then, accompanied by the disciples, Jesus left the upstairs room and went as usual to the Mount of Olives. 40 There he told them, “Pray that you will not give in to temptation.”
41 He walked away, about a stone’s throw, and knelt down and prayed, 42 “Father, if you are willing, please take this cup of suffering away from me. Yet I want your will to be done, not mine.” 43 Then an angel from heaven appeared and strengthened him. 44 He prayed more fervently, and he was in such agony of spirit that his sweat fell to the ground like great drops of blood.
In these three books, you can see how Jesus felt about His upcoming task. I have underlined the terms anguished, distressed, and deeply troubled.
Anguish is defined as 'severe mental or physical pain or suffering' (dictionary.com)
Distress is defined as 'extreme anxiety, sorrow, or pain' (dictionary.com)
In the passage from Luke you can see Jesus was so deeply troubled that he was reacting physically. In both Matthew and Mark they quote Jesus saying that He was grieving to the point of death and He did not want to be left alone!
So, to me, from Jesus' example, when faced with a problem or some type of suffering it is ok to be afraid, sad, and confused (mental pain to me is confusion), to the point of being physically broken. Have you had times when you were so sad or anxious that you were physically ill? I know I have.
But what are we to do besides instinctually react in these ways? How do we feel better? What did Jesus do? First, he surrounded himself with friends (even though they fell asleep when they should have been supporting him, but that's another lesson). And most importantly, He prayed and gave God control of the situation. He asked that if it was at all possible, that God find some other way to accomplish His goal. But that if there was no other way and that this was God's will He would obey. Again, to me, this says that it is ok to pray for things to be different, for the suffering to be taken away, but we also need to be willing to endure any trial if it is God's will for our life.
So to recap this point: It's ok to be afraid when we're facing troubles. Prayer and support through Godly friends is the most effective way to get through these rough times. Most importantly, let God take control of every aspect of your life and follow His will. The difficult times are the greatest times of growth!
This was the topic of one of my devotionals this morning. The devotional from In Touch with Dr. Stanley. Here is a quote from it:
"Let Jesus' Gethsemane experience be your example in times of trouble. Our Savior trusted His Father fully and accepted His will. Remember, the Father is in control. He limits the length and intensity of the pain. And, while He hurts to see His children suffer, He loves us enough to allow the difficulty. There is a beautiful harvest of growth and purpose if we embrace His road for us."
