Matthew 26:39

“He went a little farther and fell on His face, and prayed… not as I will, but as You will.”

Jesus was wrestling with Himself and with His Father. He was not just in agonizing prayer; He was distraught. When it became clear what the Father expected of Him, it was clearly very distressing; so much so that He separated Himself from His closest companions to agonize alone. He was overwhelmed with sorrow but He knew that His sorrow was not a reason to even consider disobedience. At the end of the day, obeying His Father was His only pathway, but that did not remove the pain of the agony.

We must not teach obedience as though it was free from pain. There’s a temporary agony that’s connected with obedience although this season of pain cannot be compared with the wealth of joy and eternal reward that comes from obedience. When we feel overwhelmed and when the comforts of men fail to soothe our aching hearts, let’s follow the example of Jesus. Let’s go farther away from men, fall on our faces, and pour our hearts to Him who understands. Only God can soothe the very pains He Himself caused by the invitation to submission.

“O God my Father, I need Your soothing touch today. I fall on my face. Comfort my heart, for the help of man has proved insufficient. Please Lord. In Jesus’ name, I pray. Amen.”