As You Will

March 18, 2023
  
Moments after finishing the Last Supper, Jesus asked Peter, James and John to join Him in the Garden of Gethsemane where He would pray. Jesus knew what would soon transpire so with His humanity on full display, Jesus bared His soul to the Father. “Let this cup be taken from Me.” Jesus, begging, “If there is any possible way out then please let it be done!” in this moment, is feeling everything that you and I would feel.

Yes, Jesus is still fully God but in His full humanness, He can empathize with our weaknesses. But Jesus would finish His prayer with “Not as I will, but as You will.” Again, Jesus knew the plan. He knew what was coming and He knew the reason. But amidst His deep, intense agony, He is able to say, “As You will.”

How often in our lives do we seek to cling to control? We think we know better and if things get done our way, things would be perfect. But then how often do we find ourselves doing things our way, just to find ourselves having fallen flat on our faces?

We are called to trust God in all circumstances. Certainly not easy but modelled to us perfectly through Christ. The only One who was perfect in obedience even to the point of the most gruesome, torturous death.

Sometimes God’s plan doesn’t need to make sense to us. Jesus’ death on a cross probably wouldn’t have been how we drew it up, but it was God’s perfect plan that would rescue us from our sin and separation from Him. It was out of love that He would do that, and it ought to be out of love that we trust Him. For His ways will always be higher than our ways and praise God for that!
 
Prayer:
Father, help us to give up trying to control our lives and send your Spirit to enable us to totally submit to your will. Amen.