Integrity- People of God

Have you ever been in such anguish that your very soul was pondering its ability to go on or to live? Jesus in His humanity acknowledged that His soul was exceedingly sorrowful, even to the point of death. Everything we have gone through or are going through Jesus has suffered and even more than we could imagine.  When we feel we are alone and no one understands, Jesus is the one who understands all we have been through and are going through. 

Matthew 26:38 Then He said to them, “My soul is exceedingly sorrowful, even to death. Stay here and watch with me.” NKJV

Jesus was facing a great sorrow. He was going to be separated from the one He loved, His Beloved, and His Father. They have never been separated in all His existence.  Jesus was facing the second death, which is separation from God. The first death is the separation of the soul and spirit from the body and Jesus came to die for mankind. The Bible says it was the joy (of saving humanity) that allowed Him to endure death on the cross even though He despised the shame. But now Jesu was facing the second death, a separation from God His Father.    

Hebrew 12:2 looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the sham, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. NKJV

Jesus in His humanity did not want be forsaken by God but He chose to pay our sin debt and endured the second death so that we may have eternal life. Jesus took the punishment of darkness and separation from God so that we may live in the light of God’s glory and in fellowship with the Father. Through faith in Jesus the unrighteous is made righteous and we can make the choice to have eternal life and not live in torment and separation from God.  

Jesus is our example and He has shown us how to pray and how to line our will with God’s. Jesus prayed a prayer of declaration, stating what he wanted done knowing all things are possible with God.   Jesus prayed a prayer of petition making a request to God while acknowledging God’s sovereignty over the situation. Jesus prayed a prayer of submission to God’s authority and Jesus surrendered to the Divine wisdom of God His Father in the matter. We should seek to know the will of God through His word so that we too can pray His will be done.

Mark 14:35    And He said, “Abba, Father, all things are possible for You. Take this cup away from Me; nevertheless, not what I will, but what You will.” NKJV

Praying in the name of Jesus is not just tacking the name Jesus on at the end of every request. To pray in the name of Jesus is to pray as Jesus prayed and in His authority.  Jesus prayed a prayer acknowledging God asHis Father and declaring what He wanted done and what He knew to be true, that all things are possible with God.  Jesus did not leave His praythere with just His declaration, He deferred to the Father’s will be done. 

Matthew 26:39  He went a little farther and fell on His face, and prayed, saying, “O My Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from Me; nevertheless, not as I will, but as You will.” NKJV

Jesus prayed a prayer of supplication and request. He was asking God His Father, if it be possible in His divine order to accomplish all He had ordained from the foundation of the world then let this cup pass from Him. Jesus being God still prayed to God the Father and asked, if it is possible to let the cup pass. Jesus chose humility and this is our example and lesson in humility, to yield even when we are equal to those we are deferring to. 

Matthew 26:42  Again, a second time, He went away and prayed, saying, “O My Father, if this cup cannot pass away from Me unless I drink it, Your will be done.” NKJV

Jesus prayed a prayer of submission and accepting that if this cup may not pass away from Him except He drink it, let God’s will be done. Jesus though being equal to God, yielded to God the Father’s will for His life. Jesus submitted to the Divine order of His heavenly Father. Jesus did not want to go through the loss of fellowship with His Father but He knew God’s love for Him and that God’s Divine wisdom is preeminent in all things.    

Jesus went through all the emotion of our humanity. We often want to declare to God what we want done in difficult situations and ask Him to take us out of these hard places.  We live in a fallen world that is full of sin and we have an enemy that seeks to destroy us but no matter the circumstances we too can trust God’s love for us. Even in the most difficult situation God can take those hard times and the things the enemy meant to bring evil against us and work them for our good. God is exalted when we acknowledge His Divine wisdom and love in every situation no matter how hard it may appear to us at the moment and on this side of heaven. We can trust God and wait to see how He will settle the matter. 

If God removes those hard things or allows us to stay in them and drink that bitter cup, we can trust God’s love for us. We can trust His will and His word that He will work all things together for the good of those who love God and to those who are called to His purpose. Not everyone loves God, but for those who are in the family of God, though we may not see it completely at the moment we can trust Him and rest in His promise.

Romans 8:28 And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to Hispurpose. NKJV

Again, Jesus in the zeal and passion of His humanity prayed to God His Father declaring His desire for the cup to be removed.  Jesus in Hishumility and obedience as the Son submitted to the will of God the Father.

This is how we are to pray. We are to know and declare God’s word, we are to make our request known to God and we are to trust God’s love for us and submit to His Divine Sovereignty. Believing and knowing thatthough we may not be able to see it right now, God is working all thingstogether for the good of those who love God. We can say and continue to say, “I will wait and see how the Lord settles the matter!”