Matthew 26:39 – He went a little farther and fell on His face, and prayed, saying, “O My Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from Me; nevertheless, not as I will, but as You will.”

We must remember the Lord’s words in John 12:27-28: “Now My soul is troubled, and what shall I say? Father, save Me from this hour? But for this purpose I came to this hour. Father, glorify Your name.” Therefore, in praying that the cup might pass from Him, He was not asking to be delivered from going to the cross. Because, that was the very purpose of His coming into the world! The prayer was rhetorical. His prayer was not intended to elicit an answer but to teach us a lesson. Jesus was saying in effect, “My Father, if there is any other way by which ungodly sinners can be saved than by My going to the cross, reveal that way now! But in all of this, I want it known that I desire nothing contrary to Your will.” What was the answer? There was no answer. The heavens were glaringly silent. By this revealing silence we know that there was no other way for God to justify guilty sinners than for Christ, the sinless Savior, to die as our substitute. This teaches all of us the very important lesson of placing Gods will before our own.

Challenge:

We have all prayed prayers that did not get answered in the way we wanted them to. Perhaps you’ve prayed for a loved one to be healed of their illness and they did not get better? Maybe you’ve asked the Lord for the opportunity to work in a specific occupation, but, for unknown reasons, that door was quickly shut? In one sense, this can be very discouraging. However, if you look at these types of situations like Jesus did in this weeks verse, you will quickly come to the conclusion that God was receiving His will by not giving you yours. When God does not give you what you want or what you’ve asked Him for, it is because He has something far greater in store for you. I challenge you this week to look at prayer as seeking to fulfill His will rather than getting your desires granted. I have found, in my life, that when God gets His way that I am much more satisfied than had I got my own way. When God says “yes” to me I am blessed, and when He says “no” I understand that He is protecting me. May this week be all about satisfying God and bringing Him the greatest amount of glory. God bless you.