Lent Guide: In the Shadow of GethsemaneSample

With Effort

We all suffer at one time or another. Jesus also had a great struggle (agonia = agony). His reaction was to pray with greater effort and to sweat blood. It wasn’t something He did so He would never have to struggle again. We will, at least at times, experience that He prepared us by saying:

The market is flooded with surefire, easygoing formulas… Don’t fall for that… The way to life—to God! —is vigorous and requires total attention– Matthew 7:13,14 MSG. So, we are invited to follow His example in such times by exerting ourselves.

We live in a time of comfort and quick shortcuts to what we want. I often hear people sayit doesn’t work for me because it’s uncomfortable and it takes too much effort. Our decisions are made with comfort and relaxation as the highest denominator. Paul uses the metaphor of an athlete who exerts himself and makes an effort to receive a reward (1 Cor 9:25, 27). Through this, he is saying that the physical (outer) principle for fulfillment also applies to our individual psychic and spiritual life.

There will be challenging times in our lives where we can get distressed and saddened and fall into a great struggle. That is a time of great effort and intensity. I pray until I can’t anymore. Until I, like the disciples, fall asleep. But commitment doesn’t require only intensity. He also calmed down and encouraged His disciples to sleep (Matt 26:45) after He had asked them earlier to resist sleep and pray with Him with greater effort. Our personalities determine our propensity to want to do too much (effort/work) or too little (relaxation/rest). To grow in discernment to find the unforced rhythms of grace is a great gift.

Exercise

• Ask Him to make you aware (let you see, notice, realise, be reminded) of…
• The place where you are in your life now and to discover the invitation of “relaxation” or “with greater effort.”

Prayer : Iask for a deep consciousness of Your love and work in my life.