“‘Abba, Father’, He said, ‘everything is possible for you. Take this cup from me. Yet not what I will, but what you will.'” (Mark 14:36)
This short prayer offered by our Lord in the garden is the most powerful prayer in Scripture. The circumstances alone make us sit up and take notice. What will He say? What will He ask for in this dark time? I believe that we can learn much about prayer in these few words and it can give us guidance in our prayers when encountering difficult and even desparate situations.
First, Jesus is intimate with God. “Father” or “Abba” is recorded in Scripture. The disciples noticed this intimacy early on when they asked Him to teach them to pray. He instructed them to start, “Our Father…” This was also noticed by the priests who felt that such intimacy was not proper. However, the Scriptures tell us and Jesus modeled for us that effective prayer comes from the heart.
Second, He acknowledged that God was in control and could do anything. Sometimes we pray as if there are things that God can’t do. Did you know that He can straighten out any mess? He can turn your biggest mistakes into victories. “everything is possible”.
Third, Jesus let His desire be known. Who else could He tell. This struggle with what was about to happen was real within Jesus. He was not some sort of pain lover that wanted to suffer and He was not afraid to let the Father know that this was a hard path.
Then came the hardest part of His prayer and ours prayers today, “Thy will be done”. To yield to the direction, wisdom, and will of God no matter what. No matter if it makes sense. No matter if it is inconvenient. No matter if it is not what you want. This is true faith. It is true relationship. It is true worship.
Many of us are going into hard places today. Share your concerns from the heart with a God who is your Father. Let Him know what you see, how you feel and what your desire is. Then, trust Him to the utmost by praying “not my will, but your will be done”.
Blessings.