Jesus went out as usual to the Mount of Olives, and his disciples followed him. On reaching the place, he said to them, "Pray that you will not fall into temptation." He withdrew about a stone's throw beyond them, knelt down and prayed, "Father, if you are willing, take this cup from me; yet not my will, but yours be done." An angel from heaven appeared to him and strengthened him. And being in anguish, he prayed more earnestly, and his sweat was like drops of blood falling to the ground. – Luke 22: 39-44
Today’s Reading: 1 Kings 14-15; Luke 22: 21-46
Man… this is not a good look.
Jesus knew the end was near and that Judas and Peter would betray him. He must have felt terrible.
But what did he do? He prayed.
The prayer and what happens afterward are interesting to me. He did ask God to get him out of the situation. I mean really... who wouldn't?
But he also said, “yet not my will, but yours be done”.
And then what happens next? An angel appears to comfort him.
Sigh…
Obviously, based on my previous posts, I have no answers when it comes to choice versus destiny. There is something profoundly mysterious about what Jesus says in that prayer. If it had been me I’d have hit God with the “please, please, please”.
But Jesus is more gangsta than I.
What I do think I understand is what happens with the angel. It is comforting to know that when we are going through a tough time God will send an angel to us. Maybe that angel will provide a way out of that trial. Maybe that angel will come in the form of a friend or stranger to give us advice or comfort. Maybe the angel will do something altogether unexpected.
I don’t know.
But what I do know is that when we ask for help, help will come in the form that we need most.
Even if it is answering a different need then we asked for.
