Not my Will

Recently I have found myself mulling over the words of Jesus’s prayer in the garden of Gethsemane when he said in his prayer to the Father – Not my will but your will be done. Here was Jesus at this point in human history knowing the grotesque events that are about to take place. The rejection of the Jewish people of their messiah, the ridicule, the mockery, the lies that will be told about him, the pain and agony of the crucifixion, the shame of the cross and the sin of mankind. Any one of these would be more than we could handle, especially if we were innocent like Jesus. Matthew writes that as Jesus goes up to pray, he begins to feel sorrowful and troubled. Jesus said that his soul is overwhelmed with sorrow to the point of death. In this unbearable moment Jesus submits his will to the will of God.

Take a moment and think about this willful surrender of Jesus. This is a powerful surrender. We do not usually consider surrender powerful. It is usually the moment that the weak admits defeat, the inferior submits to the superior. This moment for Jesus was neither an admission of defeat nor a confession of weakness. It was a willful sacrifice for the salvation of humanity.  It was an action that put the needs of those who least deserved it ahead of his own will.

Does God’s will come before my will? No matter the cost?

Something to prayerfully consider this Easter season as you seek to walk in step with the Holy Spirit and being transformed into the likeness of Jesus.