“As Jesus prayed, “deeply distressed” in the Garden, Mark used the synonym “troubled” “a Greek word which refers to a feeling of terrified amazement. In the face of the dreadful prospect of bearing God’s full fury against sin, Jesus was in the grip of terror. Jesus’ sorrow was so severe that it threatened to cause His death at that moment. His anguish had nothing to do with fear of men or the physical torments of the cross. He was sorrowful because within hours the full cup of divine fury against sin would be His to drink.” ”
Jesus praying in the Garden of Gethsemane often impacts me greatly within the happenings of Holy Week. It has been on my mind a lot this year, as I've had a lot of conversations with people who are going through trials or hardships of their own. For any of us who have gone through a time where it seemed like God was far off, or distant, or even not answering our prayers, it is comforting to know that we are not alone in our struggle.
In Matthew 26:36-46, we see a degree of loneliness and struggle and even pain that surrounds Jesus and the weight of what He was about to face. Have you ever felt like no one cared about your current situation? Jesus certainly did, as his closest friends continually fell asleep while he asked them to keep watch and pray! Have you ever felt like God was not heeding to your request or answering your prayer? It's safe to say that Jesus' prayer was not answered the way He probably preferred, as he asked the Lord 3 times to remove the cup from Him. Have you ever felt like the weight of your trial was too heavy to bear? Jesus did. In the garden He cried out in agony and sorrow as drops of blood poured from His head.
It is the moments in our life, exactly like Jesus' experience in the Garden, that it is easy to think "God is not near," or "God has abandoned me," or "Why would God forsake me." It's hard to believe that God will never leave us nor forsake us, when everything seems to be falling apart and the end is no where in sight. Thankfully Jesus gives us a great example in His struggle as He cries out, "Not as I will, but as you will." That's where it gets hard isn't it. But Jesus perfectly shows that to honor God is far greater than to have our own way, even in the hardest of situations.
I hope you can find comfort in the truth that Jesus felt the way you may feel or how I have felt before. In fact, the truth of God's steadfast, never leaving love is most perfectly seen at the cross, where His perfect, only begotten Son He forsook that we may never be forsaken. It was upon that cross that Jesus cried out "My God, My God why have you forsaken me!" And it was in the forsaking of His own Son, that God made a way for us to be His children, whom He will never leave or forsake.
When God forsook His own, He not only lifted Him to a place of abundance and Lordship 3 days later, but He made plenty of room for all who would repent and believe in Jesus Christ. Find comfort amidst your trial today. You are not alone. Jesus has been there; Jesus was forsaken that you might have life; God is working in your trial, even if you cannot see.