The Body Is Weak...So Turn To God In Prayer

Mark 14:32-34 - And now they came to an olive grove called the Garden of Gethsemane, and he instructed his disciples, “Sit here, while I go and pray.” He took Peter, James, and John with him and began to be filled with horror and deepest distress. And he said to them, “My soul is crushed by sorrow to the point of death; stay here and watch with me.”

 

Jesus knew the only way he could get through the next few hours was by close communication with His Father. He was hours away from the beginning of the hardest task God has asked any man to complete for Him…His soul burned with sorrow and was so distressed he even asked if there was some other way for God to save the world.

 

Jesus knew the disciples had totally misunderstood His purpose …and corporate prayer was of no use to Him…so he withdrew from them a short distance and prayed in private. The disciples fell asleep on Jesus …but not before they overheard a few of the words He used to talk with God.

 

There are times in our lives when no one else can pray for us what we need to pray about.  There are times when we need to get alone and pour out our deepest fears to God. He alone understood Jesus’ need for support and strength in this hour…everyone else was waiting for Jesus to take an earthly throne. How lonely and misunderstood He must have felt in these moments.

 

I …of course ….am guilty as I reflect this morning. I share the disciple’s human weakness for sleep and often fall asleep in my prayers at night…not to mention that I sometimes press the snooze alarm way too many times before I push myself out of bed to write some mornings. I am so comforted to know the next part of the story that tells me that Jesus loved the disciples anyway…even though they had failed Him in this moment…and were about to abandon Him completely for a time.

 

Father…thank you for the reminder that alone time with you is sometimes the only way togain enough strength and power to complete the task you need us to do. Forgive me for the times that I have fallen asleep in my task for you…and have been less than exuberant in waking to join you in reflection each morning.  Help me to be so thankful of your love for me that I am able to focus better during my prayers and morning time with you…looking forward to these times I can gain strength and insight form your word for my day ahead. Amen.