And being in an agony he prayed more earnestly—- Luke 22:44
We all have to encounter suffering and endure sorrows—that’s life. But how do we survive? Where do we go for refuge and relief in these troublesome times? If we are wise we will take the path our dear Savior trod and follow His example. Surely He would never lead us astray. And if we don’t follow Him who shall we follow.
So with the weight of the burden on our back and the pain in our heart let’s go to Gethsemane. Approaching the garden quietly we see Him “in an agony”–which, considering His perfection, hardly seems fair. But we also find Him in prayer. So now we have discovered His refuge in time of need– and ours. Facing the suffering of the cross, He poured His heart out to the only One who could help– the Father, the God of all comfort—the One who had placed Him in that situation!
Although His flesh longed to be relieved of the suffering, His spirit was sustained by knowing the Father knew what was best, what was needed most. Thus He prayed, “nevertheless not my will, but thine, be done.” It was in this that our Savior found comfort. Although the suffering was not avoided, nor the pain abated, He received the strength needed to endure it, and even to do so with joy ( Heb. 12:2).
Now if our Lord and Savior was dependent upon prayer in His hour of suffering, do you suppose that we can do without it? Of course not– we would be a fool to try. We make a great mistake if we think there is a better plan of action or that no action is needed. We must pray as though everything depends on prayer–it does! The old song said it well, “O what peace we often forfeit, O what needless pain we bear, all because we do not carry everything to Him in prayer”.—HDS
