Have you ever prayed about a tough situation where you wanted a specific outcome yet ended your prayer to God with, “Your will be done?” It is hard to pray that way, but it is the right way to pray. This is exactly what Jesus did while praying in the Garden of Gethsemane.
The time has arrived for the Scriptures to be fulfilled regarding the Messiah. He is to be betrayed, put on trial, and crucified. Jesus is about to be offered as the final sacrifice for all. Jesus, knowing what is ahead for himself, speaks to His disciples and then prays to His Father: He told them, “My soul is crushed with grief to the point of death. Stay here and keep watch with me.” He went on a little farther and bowed with his face to the ground, praying, “My Father! If it is possible, let this cup of suffering be taken away from me. Yet I want your will to be done, not mine.” (Matthew 26:38–39, NLT) This was not easy for Jesus to pray!
As I thought about this, I was reminded that even when it is hard to pray, “Your will be done,” Jesus knows what even this is like. Notice what Hebrews says: For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin. (Hebrews 4:15, ESV) Notice what Jesus said further in our reading: Again, for the second time, he went away and prayed, “My Father, if this cannot pass unless I drink it, your will be done.” (Matthew 26:42, ESV)
Believer, as you and I pray, “Your will be done,” even when it may conflict with our desires and even when it is difficult, let us not forget that the One who hears that prayer has also prayed this way Himself—and He truly understands the difficulty of that moment. We can trust Him, His will, and the outcome when, by faith, we pray as Jesus did in the Garden of Gethsemane.
Thank you for joining me as I read and journal chronologically through the Bible! This devotional reflection comes from Matthew 26 and Mark 14.