Pivotal Prayer
By Vernette
Kureck
“And he
withdrew from them about a stone’s throw, and knelt down and prayed, saying, ‘Father,
if you are willing, remove this cup from me. Nevertheless, not my will, but
yours be done.’”
Luke 22:41-42 (ESV)
Some days can be so overwhelming! I’m sure you
have probably seen the maxim, “Life is fragile, handle with prayer.” When I was
a young mom, there were nights that seemed to be days caused by sick or
irritable children…needing prayer. Then with teenagers, there were the days
that had never-ending nights, causing all-time exhaustion...and prayer. Working
and taking care of elderly parents certainly had its challenges. And now, grandparenting
has been a little less consuming…unless you’re talking about prayer!
Do you ever wonder about Jesus and His
prayer life? How often did He pray? And what do you think he thought he could
ask his Father? Scripture gives us a picture of Jesus praying day and night. And
I’ve concluded that He could ask His Father anything.
His request in the Garden was the biggest thing He could ask: “Remove this cup
from me.” He explicitly knew it was the whole reason He came to earth, but now He
is asking God His Father to change the plan. The entire destiny of mankind
rests on this prayer. It’s a pivotal prayer.
The dictionary defines “pivot” as a
person/thing upon which an important matter hinges or turns. Jesus knew what was
coming and what was at stake: not just about the physical suffering, but the
ultimate spiritual separation from the Father with whom he had been since
before the beginning. The sins of the world were about to be placed on Him.
“And being in agony he prayed more earnestly, and his sweat become like great
drops of blood falling down to the ground” (Luke 22:44).
I have had serious prayer requests,
but I know I have never sweat blood in my prayer life. (To be honest, I most
likely have not even worked up a sweat.) Yet, in this pivotal moment in the
Garden, the key word in Jesus’ prayer is “Nevertheless” - - Jesus aligns His
will with God’s will. He has literally poured his heart out to God in prayer
and revealed His human desire, all the while surrendered to His Father’s
pivotal answer.
I’m grateful that Jesus showed his
true humanity in asking…and, because of His example, I know that as His
daughter, I can ask God anything. Nevertheless,
I also want to pray…His will be done.
GOING
DEEPER:
1. Thank
Jesus for his willful obedience.
2. What issue do you need to earnestly
pray about and align with God’s will?
FURTHER
READING
Vernette and her husband Ken have
been married 50
years. They have been blessed with two sons
and eight grandchildren. She serves
Oakwood on the prayer chain and with Family Promise.
