The Power Of Surrender – David ShearmanSample

The Prayer of Jesus

At the point of His greatest agony and need during His short time on earth, Jesus prayed in the Garden of Gethsemane and gave us an amazing model prayer. He was “anguished and distressed” as He confided in His three closest disciples. He wanted them to keep watch and pray with Him, but they were overcome by a natural and spiritual tiredness. These are climactic moments in the final chapter of Jesus’ incredible story.

Despite petitioning His Father to take the cup away from Him, Jesus quickly reverted to submission to God’s will. The first thing this teaches us is to be honest about ourselves in prayer. Then we must face our emotional challenges and finally grasp the context of the spiritual struggle behind prayer. Analyzing Jesus’ words, we uncover a number of important truths.

1. He calls God Abba (Daddy) Father. Our prayers, like Jesus’, must be understood relationally, because God is our Father too.

2. He states that “everything is possible for you.” Not only is our prayer relational, it should have an element of confession. Jesus confessed God’s omnipotence. Everything, I repeat everything, is possible for Him!

3. Next comes petition. God is not surprised when we cry out and make strong requests of Him – even ones that expose our own emotional pain. We are encouraged to persist in our petition. Jesus knew that this was not one of those moments, so He quickly moved to a new position of trust.

4. Finally, Jesus says, “I want your will to be done, not mine.” It is a confession of absolute submission to His Father’s will. “Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven” (Matthew 6:10).

Afterwards, Jesus finds His disciples sleeping, but He has triumphed. He is empowered to face the cross, taking your place and mine.

Take a moment to reflect.

1. Remember that God is your loving Heavenly Father.

2. Reflect on the fact that everything is possible when we trust Him.

3. Be honest in revealing your emotions to God in prayer.

4. Surrender to His lordship each day and allow the Holy Spirit to lead you.

Follow the model of Jesus. Recognize your relationship with God. He is able to meet your needs. Trust Him completely because He loves you.