Prepare your heart in the Garden of Gethsemane

Yesterday, we reflected on Christ's final moments in the Upper Room. Today, we turn our attention to where his journey to the cross took him next. 

"Gethsemane" comes from two Hebrew words meaning "olive press." It was a large area in Jesus' day. 

Here our Lord chose to die for us.

He knew he would face three illegal trials from the Jewish authorities and three Roman trials ending in his conviction. He would suffer crucifixion, one of the cruelest forms of execution ever devised. 

His perfect, sinless soul would be made to bear our sin so that he would cry from the cross, "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?" (Matthew 27:46). 

He would die that we might live.

So he prayed. 

He prayed so hard and with such stress that "his sweat was like drops of blood falling to the ground" (Luke 22:44). We hear genuine fear and struggle in his words, a sign that even the knowledge of the resurrection was not enough to make the path to the cross an easy one to walk. He was a man in search of solace and in need of a friend.

What is the purpose of prayer?

Most days, we can look around and think we have all the strength we need to face the trials we can see. In many cases, we may be right. Often, however, the purpose of prayer is to prepare us for the trials that only God knows are coming. 

Throughout Scripture, we find examples of the Lord using times of peace to ready his people for times of conflict. The instances when they allowed him to do so typically resulted in victory. When they didn't, defeat was all but inevitable. 

None of us can know what the future will bring, and it's possible that we'll wake up with everything we need to face the day. 

The only way we can be sure of that, though, is to heed God's call to prayer and preparation while we still have the time to do so. This won't necessarily lessen the pain or hardship that such trials may bring, but it can help us persevere and overcome them with the same strength and courage shown by our Lord. 

Are you ready to face those trials today?

Photo: The Eastern gate from which, according to tradition, Judas emerged with the soldiers as seen from the Garden of Gethsemane. © Denison Ministries