He walked away, about a stone’s throw, and knelt down and prayed, “Father, if you are willing, please take this cup of suffering away from me. Yet I want your will to be done, not mine.” Luke 22:41-42
“I want your will to be done, not mine.” These were the words Jesus prayed right before He was arrested and killed in Luke 22:42. At this time, He knew exactly what was about to happen. He would be betrayed, arrested, brutally beaten, and eventually killed. As He prayed, He asked God the Father to please let Him not have to endure the suffering He knew was coming. Of course, He did not want to endure such pain. And yet, after His plea to God the Father, He said, “I want your will to be done, not mine. More than anything else, He wanted God the Father’s will. As a result, when He finished His prayer, He could pray for the Father’s will above all else.
Jesus’ prayer, “Yet I want your will to be done, not mine,” is a model for you and me today. We can certainly bring our requests to God. We can pray for things that matter to us. The question is, at the end of the day, are we willing to pray for God’s will above anything else? This surrender requires trust in God and His plan. You see, if we trust God and His plan, then it is only natural to surrender to His will.
If I am being honest, talking about praying, “Yet I want your will to be done, not mine,” is much easier said than done. Surrendering to His will is not always easy. Maybe you can relate. The truth is, however, we must remember that He is all-knowing, and we are not. He is all-powerful, and we are weak. He knows everything, and we do not know everything. If we have to choose between our will and His, His will is best every single time. He is our creator and the creator of the entire universe. May you and I surrender to His will today.
Take time right now to talk to God. Talk to Him about everything that is on your mind. Make your requests made known to Him. Then, after making your requests known to Him, pray the words of Jesus, “Yet I want your will to be done, not mind.” Tell Him that you trust that His will and His plans are best. Tell Him that you trust that He will always take care of you.
Luke 22:39-46 (NLT)
"Jesus went out as usual to the Mount of Olives, and his disciples followed him. 40 On reaching the place, he said to them, “Pray that you will not fall into temptation.” 41 He withdrew about a stone’s throw beyond them, knelt down and prayed, 42 “Father, if you are willing, take this cup from me; yet not my will, but yours be done.” 43 An angel from heaven appeared to him and strengthened him. 44 And being in anguish, he prayed more earnestly, and his sweat was like drops of blood falling to the ground.
45 When he rose from prayer and went back to the disciples, he found them asleep, exhausted from sorrow. 46 “Why are you sleeping?” he asked them. “Get up and pray so that you will not fall into temptation.”
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