“And going a little farther, he threw himself on the ground and prayed, “My Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from me; yet not what I want but what you want.” Then he came to the disciples and found them sleeping; and he said to Peter, “So, could you not stay awake with me one hour? Stay awake and pray that you may not come into the time of trial; the spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak.” Again he went away for the second time and prayed, “My Father, if this cannot pass unless I drink it, your will be done.”” Matthew 26:39-42
“Thy Will be done,” what a powerful prayer of surrender that Jesus shared with us. This is a particularly personal moment and interaction between the Lord and the Father. A moment of weakness and of strength. Crushing fear in which Jesus was ‘deeply grieved, even to death’ (Matthew 26:38). Though Jesus is overwhelmed physically and mentally as He prepares for these final, painful steps upon earth, He is united with God the Father. He is surrendered to His Divine Will. An example for us.
“God made known to me what true love consists in and gave light to me about how, in practice, to give proof of it to Him. True love of God consists in carrying out God’s will. To show God our love in what we do, all our actions, even the least, must spring from our love of God.” Divine Mercy in My Soul # 279
We all have or will have ‘Gethsemane’ moments. Moments significant to our Road of Faith. Dark nights seemingly overwhelming. It is so easy to end a prayer with, ‘Thy Will be done’, but what happens when it really matters? What happens when surrender to God’s Will hurts – even to death? Not as easy then. But, this is precisely the reason God allows these moments. T
he Road of Faith is strewn with potholes and curves. Portions upon which the streets lights are out and the darkness presses in. It is in these moments that God forces out surrender. Not forced against our will, but forced in the sense that we find ourself with no other place to turn but Him. Read my book, “I Knew His Voice”, to see how this moment came upon me. How I learned that simply saying “Thy Will be done” wasn’t enough. One must truly surrender,
In finding the surrender and love which Jesus displays in Gethsemane, we learn the love of God. We are drawn to love Him as He deserves. What’s more, others see our surrender, even if they don’t understand it or how we can surrender in that moment. They see our example of surrender as we have seen Jesus’. And, they learn too.
Though the moment hurts beyond your ability to comprehend why, repeat Jesus’ words, “not Mine but Thy Will be done”, “Thy Will, Thy Will, Thy Will…”