22 Dec 2015
Matthew 26:39
Matthew 26:39: “And he went a little farther, and fell on his face, and prayed, saying, O my Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me: nevertheless not as I will, but as thou wilt.”
Here we see a few things. First, Jesus was fully submitted to His Father’s will. He would do as His Father wanted. Yet, He was sorrowful: He knew what was about to happen, and He desired – perhaps earnestly desired – that “this cup pass from me”. Yet He was not willing to simply get up and walk away; instead He did as His Father asked.
Note, too, that the Father denied this request. This shows that “ask and it shall be given to you” is not a strict absolute. Jesus asked and it was not given to Him, because God had other plans. If Jesus did not always get the things that He asked for, then we can be pretty sure that we’re not going to either. Sometimes the things we ask for are just plain wrong, or misguided. God knows what is best. Trusting Him is not easy – especially when life is painful and difficult – but it is the only way to live as a Christian.