Marriage Anchors

Trust Him

 ‘And He went a little beyond them, and fell on His face and prayed, saying, “My Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from Me; yet not as I will, but as You will.”’  Matthew 26:39 NASB

Jesus was praying in the Garden of Gethsemane. He was honest with His Father about the hardship of His path. He considered the people in it, the pain, and the difficulty of the process. He clearly desired another way. His gut-wrenching language? Prayer. His ultimate response? Obedience.

Jesus, God and man in one, knew of the sheer terror and hellish loss He was about to endure. He knew His Heavenly Father had the power to do anything. Yet, the issue here was not the Father’s power but the humility and submission of the Son. The battle was won here in the Garden of Gethsemane. The serpent’s head was crushed here by Jesus as He surrendered to His Father’s will on our behalf. (Genesis 3:15)

The Lord Jesus showed great valor in choosing the unthinkable. Choosing His Father’s will meant choosing death, judgment, and abandonment…all that we deserved. Even though He sweat drops like blood, His loving faith never faltered. God, the Father, knew from eternity past that this was the “Will” that must be done. ‘Again, for the second time, he went away and prayed, “My Father, if this cannot pass unless I drink it, your will be done.”’ Matthew 26:42

Do we pray believing that God could or would move heaven and earth for us?

Do we love and entrust ourselves to Him through total surrender so that even though it may cost us everything, we desire His will above ours?

Trust Jesus with the pain, the path, and the people in it. Trust Him with the process too. Jesus was and is our example of absolute surrender in the Garden and on the Cross. I am not saying it is easy. I battle against this. I often find myself wanting God’s will and plan to go my way. I do not think I am alone here.

 I want certain prayers answered certain ways. In fact, just recently, I spent months pleading with God for justice in a certain situation and He sent me a dream where very clearly, He showed me His desire was for me to show mercy (withhold judgment or discipline from someone who deserves it).

I will never forget waking up at 2 A. M. confused and bewildered. I blurted out to Him "Mercy? Really?", upon which I was immediately humbled. You see, friends, who can understand the mind of God? His thoughts are not like ours. His ways are much higher. Many nights I beg Him for healing of the sickness I am enduring. Every one of those nights He gently meets me with this precious sense that the ailment is a gift to me somehow. 

God is doing things in our lives that we cannot fully understand. Be rest assured we do not have to understand it. We must trust, surrender, and obey.

“Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths.”  Proverbs 3:5-6

Trust Him. 

By Anne Borgen

Hey, check out my website, "envoy" with this link: https://annechristineborge.wixsite.com/envoy

 

All Scripture references are from the ESV unless otherwise noted.