HEAL - God's Heart for Healing in MatthewExemplo

Jesus the Empathetic Savior

Have you ever been in a time of deep sorrow and anxiety? Did your circumstances overwhelm your heart to the point of death? If you’ve felt that way before, you are in good company. Jesus felt like that when He was in the Garden of Gethsemane. As fully human, he dreaded the pain and suffering of going to the cross. He knew what was to come, and yet Scripture tells us that Jesus prayed and asked God to take the cup away from Him. His final surrender was not His will, but the Father’s will be done. Talk about surrendering the outcome. Jesus was fully the Son of God and He knew that dying on the cross was the ultimate way to conquer death and provide salvation for all who believe.  

When we shift our focus to his disciples in the account, what do we see? Jesus described the state of His soul as being “overwhelmed with sorrow to the point of death.” At that moment, he sought support from his friends, asking them to keep watch and pray with him. To his disappointment, they fell asleep, and Jesus admonished Peter about not being able to stay alert for one hour. He then tells his disciples, “Watch and pray so that you will not fall into temptation. The spirit is willing, but the body is weak.” 

If you ever feel you are going it alone in your healing journey, be encouraged that Jesus feels your pain and understands the deep trouble and anxiety you face. In fact, He won’t let you go it alone. As your empathetic Savior, He’ll carry you through it.

Questions:

1.  Does it comfort you to see that Jesus also struggled with sorrow?

2.  Do you have “a cup” you’ve been asking God to take away from you?  

3.  How does prayer change your circumstances?