by Shaun Caudill
“I wish I were not having to go through this moment in my life.” I think most of us have felt this way at some time in our life when things just seemed very overwhelming. We find ourselves living in a moment of our life that we hate and wish we could get out of. In Luke 22, when Jesus was in the Garden of Gethsemane, he was experiencing great emotional strife over what he knew was coming next and prayed the prayer, “Father, if you are willing, remove this cup from me…” Jesus knew what was coming. Physical pain, people mocking and rejecting Him, almost all of His disciples abandoning Him, His mother watching Him suffer, and on top of all that, God the Father forsaking Him. He did not want to be in that moment, and He prayed if possible that that moment be replaced by another moment that was…easier.
We do not like difficult moments because, well…they are difficult. We hate pain and suffering and really feel that we could do so much more good for our life and for others if we could just control our circumstances and do what we want to do, when we want to do it. But that is not reality or truth. There is also no trust or reliance upon God in that scenario. We forget that we live in a fallen world where sin still has somewhat of a grasp. Sometimes we have a choice to get out of difficult moments, but there are other times that, no matter how hard we try, we are staring at this difficult moment face to face. In those moments, where it seems I do not have a choice in the matter, I need to change my mindset. Instead of thinking about how to get out of the moment, I should try to find where God is with me in that moment. That is why Jesus finished His prayer by saying, “nevertheless, not my will, but yours, be done.” By accepting His moment, Jesus brought about the ultimate glory for the Father and Himself. He also secured eternal salvation for us and an everlasting intimate relationship with us. God is at work in the world and in our lives. The suffering that we are trying to avoid, God is using to bring about His hope in the world and our perfection, by causing us to draw close to Him and rely upon Him more. Jesus did not want His moment but trusted the Father that if it had to happen, then it would bring about the ultimate good. Will you choose to take your difficult moments to God and walk in faith with Him? Will you trust Him to work in them to bring about His glory and your good?
VC Devotionals 