21 Days of Prayer - Persevereናሙና

When You’re Faced with the Impossible

Of every possible scenario we could imagine persevering through, Jesus faced them all; yet, this moment in the Garden of Gethsemane when He was about to face the cross encompasses the “impossible” situation that only Jesus could face. Jesus was the Chosen One, the Son of Man who would die for our sins; through no one else do we have salvation (Acts 4:12). This only happens through Jesus because Jesus is the only one who went to the cross for us.

During this prayer moment, Jesus is filled with agony. He asks God to remove this cup from Him; still, Jesus says, “not My will, but Yours be done” (Luke 22:42). An angel of the Lord appeared to strengthen Him, and he prayed fervently, to the point where His “sweat became like drops of blood, falling down upon the ground” (Luke 22:44).

On top of the physical pain He was about to experience by being beaten and crucified, Jesus would also experience emotional, relational, and spiritual pain. He was mocked and humiliated. He felt the emotional pain of seeing His mother and the disciples He loved mourning for Him. He felt the spiritual pain of God turning His back on Him. And on top of that, the curse of sin that should have been on all of us (past, present, and future) was upon Him (Deuteronomy 21:22-23). Can you imagine the weight of feeling the sin of trillions of people? Jesus experienced all of this at once.

While we will never be able to take the place of Jesus on the cross--thank God He died for all sins once and for all (1 Peter 3:18)--we can learn from Jesus what to do when we face what seems like an impossible situation.

First, Jesus didn’t run from God; He ran to God. He went directly to His source and sought Him in prayer. He didn’t sugarcoat how He was feeling. He was honest with God in prayer.

Second, Jesus expressed His desires, but He also expressed His ultimate desire for God’s will to be done. There’s nothing wrong with telling God how you feel about your circumstances or what you would change if you could; however, God’s will is more important than anything we could ever want. When we pray for God’s will, we pray for the best possible outcome because God’s will is good, pleasing, and perfect (Romans 12:2).

Finally, Jesus faced the impossible. He didn’t shy away from the pain that was coming; He endured it. While every bone in our bodies may tell us to run, when God says to stay, we stay. We fight. We face. We endure.

By persevering through the impossible, we realize that nothing is impossible for God. So, if you’re faced with an impossible situation today, rely on God. Pray for His will, and face the situation head-on, knowing that God has your back and will work everything for the good of those who love Him and are called according to His purpose (Romans 8:28).

Emily N. Green

Prayer Point: What impossible situation are you faced with today? Pray and ask God to help you persevere through it.