41 And He withdrew from them about a stone’s throw, and knelt down and prayed, 42 saying, “Father, if You are willing, remove this cup from me. Nevertheless, not my will, but Yours, be done.” 43 And there appeared to Him an angel from heaven, strengthening Him. ~ Luke 22:41–43
When Jesus was at His weakest, He knelt down and placed His pain before the Father. He didn’t hold on to it Himself. He didn’t try to go through the battle alone. No, instead, He took it to His Father and laid it down at His feet. Jesus, God incarnate, didn’t try to carry His own burden, nor did He try to fight the will of His Father. The cross He had to bear was heavy. His sweat became like blood just thinking about it. He took His stress to the Father and asked if there was another way. The Father wasn’t upset or angry. He wasn’t disappointed or frustrated. The Father, with love, sent an angel from heaven to encourage and strengthen Jesus. Why?
Jesus asked if it was possible for the cup to be removed from Him, but He didn’t leave it there. Jesus ultimately prayed that the Father’s will would be done. We can bring anything before our Heavenly Father, but we need to always remember to end our requests with praying for the Father’s will to be ultimately done. It would’ve been easier for Jesus if the Father had removed the cup from His hand, but it would’ve meant that all of mankind would die in our sins. Look at Moses; he missed out on his healing and almost missed his call altogether because he didn’t end his request with, ‘but let Your will be done.’
Sometimes our cup seems too hard to bear. Sometimes it seems like our yoke is too heavy for our shoulders, but remember, our God is faithful. He will carry our burdens for us, and He will send His angels to strengthen and minister to us. We’re not alone; His very Spirit dwells inside of us. The Spirit of God even prays on our behalf because we don’t know how to properly pray for ourselves. We don’t have to carry our burdens alone. We don’t have to carry the cross by ourselves. Go to Your Heavenly Father and lay your burden at His feet. Ask Him for help.
LORD God, please remove this heavy burden from my shoulders. Please lift the weight that is weighing me down. I know Your will is perfect and is for my good. Please strengthen me that I might dwell in Your will. That I might grow weary of doing good. Teach me to love You and follow You the way You deserve. Please give me wisdom that I might see You in every trial and tribulation. Help me to fulfill Your will for my life. In Jesus’s name, I pray, amen.
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