Let’s think about what happened in the Garden of Gethsemane now with reverence and awe. Listen to those words that fall from the trembling lips of Jesus, saying, “Father, if it is Your will, take this cup away from Me; nevertheless NOT MY WILL, BUT YOUR WILL, be done.” (Luke 22:42) It’s possible that we overlook the significance of what happened in Gethsemane, but as it relates to our redemption nothing could be more important. If Calvary is the DOOR TO SALVATION, Gethsemane WAS THE HINGE. It was here in this garden where the eternal future of humanity hung in the balance. It was here that OUR FATE was decided. All of history was depending on this moment. Where Adam and Eve FAILED in the Garden of Eden, Jesus TRIUMPHED in the Garden of Gethsemane. And the key to Christ’s victory here was the secret of His whole life, symbolized in those eight immortal words, “Not my will, but YOUR WILL, be done.”
The Roman soldiers seized Jesus and crucified Him, but they could not TAKE HIS LIFE, for He had already laid it down in Gethsemane. Jesus said, about His life, “No one takes it from Me, but I lay it down of Myself. I have power to lay it down, and I have power to take it again. This command I have received from My Father.” (John 10:18) We must begin by recognizing something so simple yet so significant: there may be a difference between what we want and WHAT GOD WANTS. With this awareness we must constantly make sure our will is SURRENDERED TO HIS. We may start out on a journey to discover that we have already made up our minds about what we think God wants us to do. To make sure, listen to this promise from the Lord, “Call to Me, and I WILL ANSWER YOU, and SHOW YOU great and mighty things, which you do not know.” (Jer. 33:3)
Your Personal Pastor -Bill Stockham