Thursday 21 Jun 2018

June 21: Mark 14:32-38

Key Verse: Mark 14:38
Watch and pray so that you will not fall into temptation. The spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak.”

Devotion:
If ever there were a place a time we should take notice of, it is this place and time given to us in our bibles. Jesus took the disciples to the garden of Gethsemane so He could pray about what was about to happen. But one of the most important things we forget when we think of this time is the simple fact that Christ had to face up to the terrors which faced Him as a human. For a short time, He had to face up to the terrors waiting for Him being separated from God eternally. It was enough for His souls to feel “exceeding sorrowful unto death”. It was at that time He was taking the weight of our sins onto His shoulders so we would not have to face that same weight on our souls when we die.

So bad was it that He asked God the Father if He could take away the pain, but ultimately made sure it was God’s will which would be done and not his own desires, no matter how bad. I know we could never imagine just how much He took on His shoulders at this time, but He was able to see at first hand just how weak we are as humans. Yes, we like to think we can stand up to all manner of things, but in the end there is always a point after which we can take no more. Jesus realised just how easy it was to reach that point as a human and warned the disciples of this fact.

The way that He took care of His worries was our ultimate example which we should always follow. He took His problems to God. He opened up in prayer and placed them squarely in God’s hands. He knew as a human He could not change His position, but He knew His human self was safe in God’s hands. That is where He got the strength to face up to more than we could imagine. That is where He got His comfort. That is where we need to seek and find ours too. And what did He ask His disciples to do – to pray for Him too.

Points to Ponder:
Where do you turn for comfort when things go wrong?

Do you place your faith squarely in God’s hands?