“Abba, Father,” He cried out, “everything is possible for you. Please take this cup of suffering away from me. Yet I want Your will to be done, not mine.”
These heartfelt words of Jesus were uttered before His betrayal and arrest. He had gone with His disciples to the olive grove called Gethsemane. When He felt deeply troubled and distressed, to the extent that His soul was crushed with grief to the point of death, He went aside to speak to His Father. In His words, He points out that everything is possible for God. God could reduce the time He had to wait. God could make Him hardened to the emotions He was going through. And Jesus could have decided not to go ahead with the plan of His Father because of the pain, grief, sorrow and distress He was going through. Yet He submitted to the will of God. Otherwise what would have become of me and you?
Your heart may be troubled, filled with sorrow and uncertainty about your future, but as you walk with God and desire to be fruitful in Him, it has to be Him who leads the way. It has to be Him who opens doors for you. It has to be His will and not yours. It is hard to not be anxious. But your Loving Father is always working in our lives. With any situation that you are going through, as long as you submit to His will, He will strengthen you in His word, and teach you important virtues such as love, kindness, patience, persistence, and trust. With God, you do not need to insist on your way. It is better to trust Him and wait on Him, knowing that He has a plan and a purpose for your life. It is important to seek God and know His will in every situation to enable you stand in authority when you are being attacked by the enemy, and not accept such as "the will of God".
Have you ever stood before God and demanded your own way on something? Have you ever come to the point of blackmailing Him (so to speak) when He has not come through for you? The pattern of the Christian life that Jesus Christ demonstrated for us is one of submission to God our Father. He enjoyed unadulterated and uninterrupted peace in His relationship with God, for He learned obedience through His sufferings. Rather than turning His heart away from God in angry defiance and demandingness, He submitted to the One who loved Him. What will you do?
Prayer: My Loving Father, there are times when I may wonder about my future. Today I realize that You are good, that You have a plan and purpose for my life, and that You use waiting periods to prepare me for whatever it is that You will for my life. Lord let me never want what I want, but always look to You and pray that Your will be done in my life. I thank You for all You are doing in and through me, and I ask You, Father, to help me in every area of my life, that it would be pleasing and glorifiying to You. In Jesus Name, Amen.
One-Year Daily Bible Reading Plan - July 21 2010 - Proverbs 11-20 (OT), 2 Thessalonians 2 (NT).
Pray for someone today - Pray for people in abusive homes. Pray for their protection and well-being. Pray for the healing of the person who is abusing them. Pray that they will find friends, family or neighbours who will step in and remove them from the dangerous environment before they get hurt.
Joyful 'Toon For Today
God’s Love and Mine…
