“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)
IT IS NORMAL FOR ALL OF US facing a difficult situation to say we would rather not go through what we are about to endure. Seeking to go through pain is abnormal. To run from something that will hurt is natural. If I can avoid a conflict with a friend or a stranger, I will.
Jesus was not trying to get a free pass on 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 you and I would not have to eternally die.
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 Executive Director of Church Multiplication and Discipleship for The
