“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)
When facing a difficult situation, it’s normal to say we would rather not go through what we are about to endure. Desiring to go through pain is abnormal. Running from something that will hurt is natural. If we can avoid a conflict with a friend or a stranger, we will.
Jesus was not trying to get a free pass from being the Savior of the world. He knew his mission well. Yet, he expressed his true feelings as a human being. He was saying that he’d rather not die for the sins of the world. He was not rebelling against God’s will. He was thinking normally. The difference with Jesus is that he didn’t run away. Rather, he stayed with the mission of God and endured the “cup” of sacrificing his earthly life on a cruel cross so that you and I would not have to die eternally.
Like Jesus, we need to get to the point where we value God’s lasting will for our lives more than only seeing what is temporarily right in front of us. We need to trust that God knows what he’s doing by asking us to grow through what we are facing. And, it is perfectly fine to pray to our God, who can do all things, to do the impossible on our behalf.
When you cannot see God’s hand, trust his heart.
Jim Dunn is the president of Oklahoma Wesleyan University in Bartlesville, Oklahoma.
© 2020 Wesleyan Publishing House. Reprinted from Light from the Word. Used by permission. Scriptures taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV®.
