In the upcoming weeks, The Porch is going to be looking at Jesus' prayers during the last hours of his life. Right before he gets arrested, Jesus goes into the Garden of Gethsemane and prays, “My Father, if it is possible, may this cup be taken from me. Yet not as I will, but as you will”(Matthew 26.) It's a short prayer, but perhaps one the most powerful utterances in the whole Bible. In two short sentences, we can begin to understand the intense anguish that Jesus was under as we realize that he suffers the same way that you and I suffer. Who among us has not at one point or another prayed for God to remove our burdens?
This tells me two things. First, as long as we are on this earth, we will have to endure suffering. In fact, if we are serious about following Jesus, this means that we will follow him through the miracles, signs and wonders into the Garden and then to the cross. A call to follow Jesus is not one that takes us to a suffer-free zone, but instead one that allows us to serve a savior that was willing to suffer with us.
Secondly, God hears our prayers as a means of comforting us in the midst of our burdens. This does not imply that all of our burdens will be removed (the cup was not taken from Jesus), but it does show that God hears us. In a world that is telling us to make it on our own, Jesus' prayer in the Garden suggests the opposite. Our God is so close to us that he listens to our hearts and hears our struggles while we are in it. God is big enough to hear each of our prayers, yet close enough to listen and comfort each of his followers.
So how do you best give your burdens to God? Has God ever removed the cup for you? I'd love to hear your thoughts.
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