Who is Jesus like? V. 39- Just as it was his habit to pray in the tranquil early morning (Mk 1:35), the day before he is captured he goes to pray on the Mount of Olives. The reason that Jesus could be successful in his public life was because through prayer he could distinguish God’s will for him and receive strength from him. Meditation through prayer becomes a form of communication for God’s moral influence to come on us and brings us to not just intellectual understanding but practical understanding.
Vv. 41-44- He prays that he may be given the power to follow the will of the father and drink from the cup of suffering. He did not try to persuade God and escape suffering but he prayed to persuade himself to follow the will of God. He prayed earnestly (chapter 11) and persistently (chapter 18) just as he taught others and even the angels came down to help him in his prayer. If Jesus could overcome this test because there was a desperate struggle for obedience, how will it be for us?
What lesson is God teaching me? Vv. 40, 45, 46- Even though the disciples heard the request to stay awake and pray, they were just sad and tired and fell asleep. This is a stark contrast to Jesus, who in even greater fear, received the help of an angel and continued to pray. Though something extraordinary may happen that threatens to shut out our prayer life, the best thing we can do and the only thing we can do is pray. Even in sadness let us pray. Do not worry and lift everything up to God.
Help me to let go of my will through meditation and prayer and live a life following the will of God.
