He
went on a little farther and fell to the ground. He prayed that, if it were
possible, the awful hour awaiting him might pass him by. "Abba,
Father," he cried out, "everything is possible for you. Please take
this cup of suffering away from me. Yet I want your will to be done, not
mine." Mark 14:35-36
He
took Peter and Zebedee's two sons, James and John, and he became anguished and
distressed. He told them, "My soul is crushed with grief to the point of
death. Stay here and keep watch with me." He went on a little farther and
bowed with his face to the ground, praying, "My Father! If it is possible,
let this cup of suffering be taken away from me. Yet I want your will to be
done, not mine." Matthew
26:37-39
Did Jesus
ever have anxiety? Wow…did He ever! He certainly had a reason to feel anguish
and distress…anxiety. He was facing a brutal death. He even told His disciples… My
soul is crushed with grief to the point of death. I think He felt anxiety,
apprehension and anguish deeper than most humans have felt in their lifetime. When
have we faced betrayal, arrest, beatings, humiliation, rejection and death? My
anxieties in life have centered around loosing family members in tragic deaths
and then at other times not meeting expectations of others…or myself. These seem
trivial compared to what Jesus experienced.
We don’t know
ahead of time what is going to happen to us and how we are going to die. Jesus
did and He graciously accepted His role in life, the punishment for our sin…and
more. He felt that deep human emotion of anxiety…and He didn’t run away from
His situation…or breakdown and cry. Can we even begin to do the same in a small
way? Can you rely on the Lord to see you through the tough times? I try to
trust Him to show me the way to better choices and to keep me out of dangerous
situations. It may not be easy…but let Jesus help you. Give Him your anxieties. He knows about anxiety.
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| Sit and Rest. Give Jesus all your anxieties. Gaiser Conservatory at Manito Park - Spokane, Washington |
Prayer
~ Jesus, I am feeling Your anguish with You. You took all our sins with You to
the cross…and bore not only our sins…but the shame and humiliation of that
brutal death. My heart is heavy for You—You gave so much…and Your closest
friends couldn’t even stay awake and pray with You in Your hour of need. Our
Heavenly Father had to let You suffer since that was His plan for the sacrificial
offering providing for salvation of mankind. But my heart is filled with grief…grief
and deep heartfelt appreciation for what You suffered for me, and for my
family, my friends, neighbors and everyone reading this blog. You told Your
followers…"Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and live righteously,
and he will give you everything you need. So don't worry about tomorrow, for
tomorrow will bring its own worries. Today's trouble is enough for today."
Matthew 6:33-34. And Peter taught…"Cast
all your anxiety on him (Jesus) because he cares for you." 1 Peter 5:7 NIV.
Thank You.
Daily
Bible Reading: Zephaniah
© 2018 Text and
photos by Mickey M. Hunacek. All rights reserved.
All
scripture quoted from the New Living Translation (NLT) unless otherwise noted.
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