Being a follower of Jesus often requires hard things of people. To follow Jesus means that I am not following my own way. To be a follower of Jesus means that I give up my wants and desires for what Jesus wants and desires. To follow Jesus is to lay aside my will for what God wills.
The Garden of Gethsemane was one of my favorite places that I visited in Israel. It was so peaceful and serene. It was definitely still a place of prayer. I think I felt a sense of connection to Jesus at this site because the prayer he teaches us here is one that I resonate with deeply. “Your will be done.”
Jesus is obviously struggling with what is to lie ahead. In his humanity, he knows that death is not what we were created for, that it is a result of our sin. The same way any of us might be taken aback at the thought of our death, Jesus is deeply grieved. I can imagine the conversation, “Are you sure now is the time God, things seem to be going really well.” “What if we waited a little longer, maybe the people will come around.” “Can’t I just keep telling people to love each other without showing them the kind of sacrifice love requires?”
“My Father, if this cannot pass unless I drink it, your will be done.” This humble prayer, “your will be done,” is such a challenge to pray. Often times I hear it when people are facing health issues, or facing death. And surely Jesus is praying it here as he is facing death. Yet what his prayer of your will be done is about, is the mission of God. “Father, I see the mission you have laid out for me. It seems a little difficult, but your will be done.” “Father, I hear you calling me in a particular direction, but I’m a little bit scared. Your will be done as you give me courage.”
I think this is what Jesus is praying. He’s stating a reluctance to go forward with the mission because it is hard, it is scary, and it requires a lot from him. Yet he also prays, your will be done, which can be a prayer of humility, a prayer asking for courage, and a prayer of faith, that God will accomplish in and through us his mission as we follow His will.
As God continues to call me to the mission of the kingdom, this prayer from Jesus gives me words to express my fears and also to build my faith.