Not as I Will
He went a little farther and fell on His face, and prayed, saying, “O My Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from Me; nevertheless, not as I will, but as You will.”
The teaching and example of Jesus Christ during the last day of His human life are powerful and amazing.
After the New Testament Passover service and before Judas Iscariot betrayed Him with a kiss, Jesus took His disciples to the Garden of Gethsemane. He selected Peter, James and John to be near Him for support during His final hours of freedom. He asked them to sit nearby and watch with Him while He poured out His heart to His Father in urgent prayer.
Of His perhaps hour-long prayer, we only have the brief summary in verse 39. Jesus fervently asked His Father if there were another way that would not require the horrible suffering and death that He knew was coming. Yet He set us the awesome example of submitting to God’s will, not His own.
The goal of the Christian life is to grow to the point that we also can always seek first God’s will, not our own. For more about seeking God’s will, see “Thy Will Be Done.”
