Exodus 29, 30:1-10; Matthew 26: 14-46; Psalms 31:19-24; Proverbs 8:14-26

“My Father, if it is possible, may this cup be taken from me. Yet not as I will, but as you will.” (Matthew 26:39 NIV)

I have to say, I think this is one of the most beautiful prayers in the Bible. Simple, heartfelt, but entirely full of trust and release. It acknowledges a problem, asks for a favorable solution, and then surrenders to the fact that God’s will is not our own. We pray that we would be lead by God’s plan, not the other way around.

How many times have I prayed this prayer and truly meant it? I can’t be certain. There is always an element of myself that hopes I have the right path in mind. There is always the hope that my will actually IS the will of God, because I tend to think I’m headed in the right direction. And the more painful or close to our heart the situation, the more we truly want for our will to be done. How often do we truly let go of our will and let God take full control?

Jesus knew what was about to take place–Jesus had been warning his disciples what to expect. He still asked that he be spared if it didn’t have to happen. But God knew the full plan. We believe Jesus was fully God, but also fully human, and his soul was “overwhelmed with sorrow.” We know that this was hard for Him, and yet He fully accepted the outcome either way.

I pray that I can have this level of faith–trust unto death. It’s incredibly hard, and I’m so thankful for this very real, human example in our Lord. Despite His sorrow, He pressed on, and He allowed God’s plan to fully take affect. Today, we have fellowship with God despite our sins because of our Savior. What a beautiful gift to us His surrender was.

Today, I pray that the Lord would remind me of this prayer whenever I am experiencing hardship around me. I also pray that the Lord would show me true surrender to accept the outcomes He allows. Because He can be trusted to protect us through our surrender.