Day 2: Jesus in the Garden
Devotional by Durell Comedy
Read Matthew 26:36-46
Matthew 26:36-46
Jesus Prays in Gethsemane
36 Then Jesus went with them to a place called Gethsemane, and he said to his disciples, “Sit here, while I go over there and pray.” 37 And taking with him Peter and the two sons of Zebedee, he began to be sorrowful and troubled. 38 Then he said to them, “My soul is very sorrowful, even to death; remain here, and watch with me.” 39 And going a little farther he fell on his face and prayed, saying, “My Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me; nevertheless, not as I will, but as you will.” 40 And he came to the disciples and found them sleeping. And he said to Peter, “So, could you not watch with me one hour? 41 Watch and pray that you may not enter into temptation. The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak.” 42 Again, for the second time, he went away and prayed, “My Father, if this cannot pass unless I drink it, your will be done.” 43 And again he came and found them sleeping, for their eyes were heavy. 44 So, leaving them again, he went away and prayed for the third time, saying the same words again. 45 Then he came to the disciples and said to them, “Sleep and take your rest later on. See, the hour is at hand, and the Son of Man is betrayed into the hands of sinners. 46 Rise, let us be going; see, my betrayer is at hand.”
Scripture quotations are from the ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®), copyright © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved. The ESV text may not be quoted in any publication made available to the public by a Creative Commons license. The ESV may not be translated in whole or in part into any other language.
Devotional
I’m not the only person who’s had a hard time being vulnerable. Many of us find it challenging to be our truest selves even when surrounded by friends and family, those who know us best. Truth is, I have a constant fear of everyone (my wife included – haha) seeing me surrender to my frailty. They must ONLY see that I have it “all together” and that nothing will cause me to unravel. But let’s be real, how sustainable is this mindset? If we don’t express our fears, worries, and anxieties to someone, it’s only a matter of time before those issues gain control over us. In today’s reading, we get to walk alongside Christ during one of the most difficult moments in His life, where he, too, struggled to let even His own disciples know the heaviness of His heart.
After Jesus and His disciples finished having “The Last Supper” in the upper room together, they walked to the place called Gethsemane to pray and seek the Father. Jesus took James, John, and Peter aside and began to express the depth of the emotional anguish He was experiencing. He encouraged them to watch and pray with Him. What a beautiful picture of community and reminder to us that if the perfect Savior needed others’ prayers and support during challenging seasons, we do all the more. But Christ didn’t only share with His chosen disciples. He continued this confession with His Father, pleading for another path to walk or another cup to drink. Yet, his request was immediately bound in submission with the famous words “Not my will but Your will be done” (v. 39). This is an incredible demonstration of a Christ-like prayer: that it is acceptable to ask anything of and from our Father, knowing that His answer to us might be “no,” yet instantly committing to obeying God and His plan.
After Jesus returned from being alone and found His friends sleeping instead of praying (some friends, huh?), He isolated Himself again and prayed the exact same prayer to God twice more.
Repeatedly going to God in prayer shows us two things:
· Prayer is a weapon to battle temptation (see James 5:16)
· It shows our constant need to release our burdens to God (see Matt. 11:28-29).
Questions
1. When was the last time you were completely transparent with the Lord in prayer, allowing your emotions to help communicate a deep concern in your life?
2. Have you found others that you can be just as vulnerable with and that you can confide in on a regular basis?
3. When was a time in your life where you were obedient to God regardless of feelings or circumstances?
Pray This
Dear Lord, I’m grateful for the example of our Savior Jesus, who demonstrated obedience even unto death. Because of that death and resurrection, I have new and abundant life in You! Now help me God, by the power of Your Spirit, to live with a posture of immediate obedience to Your will and plan for my life. Even when I find myself in the struggle and pain of surrender, remind me that on the other side of obedience is joy and peace. I pray that I would constantly run to You with every one of my cares, knowing that You care for me. Surround me with those who will comfort and challenge me in Your ways and Your truth. I love You, God, not just with my words or emotions, but with and in every decision I make. In Jesus Name, Amen.
Thank you God for the privilege of prayer.
Thank you, Durell, for being vulnerable with us and leading us to remember those beautiful times when we have allowed ourselves to be vulnerable, emotional and pleading with our Father, though waiting on His perfect timing and perfect plan.
Regarding question #2: Samone Ligon starts our SHE Life Group with us turning to another sitting next to us and sharing a burden with one another, and praying together for each other. I can honestly say, this has been a beautiful time of vulnerability with Sisters in Christ, some I know much less than others, though still a deep awareness of sisterhood in Christ. Such a beautiful blessing!
Help me, LORD, to subdue my will.
Help me to surrender totally.
I want to surrender everything to you Lord. I want to walk with you and talk to you about everything that is going on in my life. I have a Life Group family that will listen to me. I share everything with them. I feel my problems lift off my shoulders when I surrender to you. I love you Lord and always will.🙏🏻🙌🏻✝💜
LORD, I pray for obedience and strength as I serve in Your name. Grateful for this sweet reminder this morning.
It is hard to be transparent, even with God. Even though he knows our thoughts and prayers. I’m thankful for a God who loves me even when I’m not transparent. I love that I can pray to him tell him my concerns and praise.
Amen
Thank You Jesus
Lord Jesus thank you for Your examples of prayer. You hear our weakness and make us stronger. Your grace is sufficient. You are our Savior. In Your Name Jesus I pray. Amen
Thank you for my prayer group to allowing grow and be transparent with them. I really grateful for you ladies.
Good word.
Thank you, Jesus for prayer. Making prayer is a priority in my life.
Let the name of Jesus be lifted up, once again, across our land.
Thank God for the privilege of prayer and for blessing me with a wife that prays with me and for me.There’s power in prayer!!!
Great reminders of what going to God in prayer can show us, about our personal dependence on the Lord and who He is. Thank you, Durell!
I can really trip myself up when I mistakenly compare myself to other Christians. I got super charged with Tony Evans Kingdom Legacy at Lakewood this weekend. I also went back to comparing myself to them. The battle for my mind is daily. Satan reminds me of my failures, God shows me we all fall short of his glory. The spiritual warfare is so real!
As children of God, we have been given so many blessings….one of the greatest is the opportunity to commune with the Heavenly Father. So much more of a blessing when we know that He wants to commune with us!
Father God, I submit my life to you. I commit my spirit into YOUR hands. Let me be honest and vulnerable with you as I make my requests to You. And May I willingly submit to follow You in obedience whatever Your answer.
Thank you Lord for your example of vulnerability. Thank you too for your example of obedience. Thank you Lord for dying on the cross for me. My hearts desire is to live for YOU!
Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me. – Psalm 51:10
Sometimes we all can utilize a reminder to make ourselves vulnerable to Christ. Although he sees and knows everything that we are going through, we sometimes feel like we are going through alone in that moment. So with constant reminder and prayer we could build the strength necessary to know that his will will be done at the end of it all.
I call Him The One Who SEEs Me. That is the truest fact. Where can I go, where can I hide? Psalm 139 answers the questions. So, what I ask my self is why try to hide? It is most futile to try because He sees even my deepest thoughts(SCARY😱!), yet and yet He chose me and called me to be His own. I thank you Lord that in my most vulnerable states, you provide people who walk through it with me and you are there just like The Foot Print in the Sand poem🙏.
YES. God has BLESSED me with a STRONG circle of Sisters in Christ, who have seen me at the lowest points in my life and PRAYED over me and for me when I couldn’t pray for myself. That’s the kind of God I serve!! HALLELUJAH!!!!
We see our Lord’s deity and also His humanity in the garden.
“it shows our constant need to release our burdens to God”…what a powerful, yet simple reminder
Being vulnerable during the tough times isn’t hard for me. I absolutely know I can’t fix my situation without the help of Jesus. I am still searching for employment and I know I will be rewarded a beautiful career at any moment now. I continue in prayer and I feel God’s presence with me. 🙏🏾♥️
Your sweet spirit, your transparency and your faith have been a huge testimony to your Tuesday morning CMC friends. We continue to ask God to show you His favor with an amazing new job!
Needed these reminders today. Thank you, Durrell.
Thank you for the reminder of being vulnerable. God sure sees me praying for my 3 adult kids and my daughter who has muscular dystrophy. He sees my breaking heart but loves me and cares for me daily. He gives me an abundance of strength. I can’t thank him enough. I have always loved Holy Week and praying for lost souls to come on Easter.
Surrender,surrender, surrender. Whatever the trial , temptation or pain that you are going through. God loves you so much.
The battle is always won where there is prayer first. Jesus made that very clear when he “fell on His face, and prayed” (v. 39).
Amen, Thank You Jesus
Amen!
My spirit indeed is willing, but my flesh is weak. Thank you Father for Jesus’ example, and the Spirit that overcomes my weakness, so your strength can help me accomplish your will.
Lord, if it weren’t for your example, I would have given up a long time ago. You are my hope and our hope. Thank you!
Two things stand out to me in the text.:
1. We need to pray to avoid temptation
2. We need to be persistent in prayer
This means that we will continually be in the presence of God where sin cannot exist, therefore we have protection and wellbeing.
My prayer is that God in His mercy will help us to stay in the place of prayer and teach us what to pray and when to pray it.
I am so thankful to know I can come to you God any time of the day knowing you are always there. You are my strength and my Redeemer. On Christ the solid rock I stand all other ground is sinking sand.
Leora