“…Stay here and watch with Me.” Matthew 26:38

Come to the Garden

How do we get through things that make no sense in the moment? How do we face the impossible with any hope or faith? When overwhelmed, where do we turn? The battle looms and threatens, fears abound, and anxieties rise. We are left helpless and desperate. We are paralyzed.

As a man, Jesus faced an unspeakable death. It would be torturous and cruel beyond imagination. The end would come only after hours of agony. As a man, how did He find the courage to go forward into the face of what appeared a cosmic catastrophe?

I believe the real battle was won not at Calvary’s hill, but in a dark and lonely garden. The victory was made evident at the cross because of what transpired in Gethsemane. Jesus was sorrowful and deeply distressed. His disciples slept. The night closed in around Him as He knelt on the ground alone before His Father. And He prayed. 

In the garden, Jesus encountered the crucible—in prayer. He fought from His knees. He overcame fear and distress and sorrow and the unbearable horror of being separated from His father. He cried out to God Most High.

He could have refused. He could have run. He could have insisted on His own will. He didn’t do any of those things. He prayed the more earnestly. He submitted Himself to the holy and eternal will of God above all else. “O My Father, if this cup cannot pass away from Me unless I drink it, Your will be done” (Matthew 26:42). Jesus trusted the will and the Word of God no matter what it might cost. And this became our victory.

As He rose from His knees, He went forward with faith and courage and quiet confidence. After the garden prayer, He never wavered, never questioned, never doubted. It had been settled in His heart through prayer. He triumphed and we are saved.

In these uncertain times, let us follow His example. No matter what comes to pass, may our faith arise strong and sure because we have prayed, because we have spent time with God Most High, and because we have submitted ourselves fully to the will of our great God.

Father, in all the universe You reign as Sovereign. You see us in our trouble and affliction. You hear us when we pray. You know Your eternal plans for each of us and we trust in You to do Your will perfectly. We declare our love for You. Amen.