Gethsemane
Invitation to connect with Jesus
As you settle in to spend time with God today, try to find a quiet space where you won't be interrupted. Silence your phone. Grab your journal and a pen. Sit comfortably with your hands open in a posture that allows you to receive from the Lord.
Take a few slow, deep breaths:
- Breathe in: God's peace
- Breathe out: Any distractions
Opening Prayer: "Speak, Lord, for your servant is listening. Open my eyes to see, my ears to hear, and my heart to receive what You want to say to me today."
Today's Scripture Reading
Read today's passage slowly a few times and listen with your heart.
Then Jesus went with his disciples to a place called Gethsemane, and he said to them, "Sit here while I go over there and pray." He took Peter and the two sons of Zebedee along with him, and he began to be sorrowful and troubled. Then he said to them, "My soul is overwhelmed with sorrow to the point of death. Stay here and keep watch with me." Going a little farther, he fell with his face to the ground and prayed, "My Father, if it is possible, may this cup be taken from me. Yet not as I will, but as you will."
Matthew 26:36-39 (NIV)
After reading, pause for a moment and then ask: What word or phrase catches my attention?
Meditation
Read the passage again, slowly, focusing on your word or phrase.
It was in the Garden of Gethsemane where Jesus Christ found Himself overwhelmed with sorrow to the point of death. He knew the cup before Him was a cup of wrath and punishment. Yet, in the face of death, He declared, "Yet not as I will, but as You will."
Jesus surrendered to the Father's will and gave His life as a ransom for ours because of His great love for us. For this reason, we can truly say that He was a man of sorrows, well-acquainted with grief.
Take a moment to reflect on these questions.
- Have you found yourself in Gethsemane overwhelmed with sorrow to the point of death?
- Have you wrestled with the cup that Christ has laid in front of you?
Conversation with God (Prayer)
Read through the passage one more time, allowing the Scripture to lead you to respond to God in prayer. Open your heart and be honest with Him about what you are experiencing. Talk to Him about what comes to mind, and how He might be inviting you to respond.
Then Jesus went with his disciples to a place called Gethsemane, and he said to them, "Sit here while I go over there and pray." He took Peter and the two sons of Zebedee along with him, and he began to be sorrowful and troubled. Then he said to them, "My soul is overwhelmed with sorrow to the point of death. Stay here and keep watch with me." Going a little farther, he fell with his face to the ground and prayed, "My Father, if it is possible, may this cup be taken from me. Yet not as I will, but as you will."
Matthew 26:36-39 (NIV)
Are you feeling led toward a prayer of praise? Repentance? A plea for help or healing?
Contemplation
Rest in the awareness of God's presence, remaining open to anything else the Holy Spirit might stir in your heart. If your mind wanders, gently redirect your thoughts toward God. Simply be still. Enjoy a moment of fellowship with God that goes deeper than words.
Rest. Breathe. Be.
Closing Prayer:
O Lord, would You teach us the lessons that Gethsemane offers? Your Son, Jesus Christ, out of His great love, suffered on our behalf and drank the cup of wrath set before Him. Lord, would this truth become real to us. Would it be the very thing that sustains us as we drink the cup You have set before us. In times of gladness, may we drink from the cup. In times of sorrow, may we drink from the cup. In times of deep loss, may we drink from the cup and follow in the footsteps of Your Son, declaring, "Yet not as I will, but Your will be done." Amen.