Tuesday, April 12, 2011
Luke 22:42 Father, if it is Your will, take this cup away from Me; nevertheless not My will, but Yours be done.
BLESSINGS FOLLOW THE STRENGTH TO YIELD TO THE FATHER'S WILL
Note well that in asking to have the cup of suffering removed, Jesus was not "chickening out" by any means. Understand though, that anticipating what was coming was a horrible strain. We may get worked up over an impending surgery or even our own death. As He looked ahead as true man and knew that He would be forsaken by the Father, He wanted to know if there were another way to accomplish the same goals. There was not, so He matched His Father's will. The result was that sin was forgiven, and life replaced death.
Here is where each one of us needs work. First of all in recognizing the Father's will, and then bending our will to His -- knowing that it is best. To do so we need to lower the estimation of ourselves in our own minds. That's harder than it sounds, but pride needs to be taken out of the equation if we are going to yield to God's will. A constant and thorough study of the Scriptures will help us understand what God wants, and reinforce the fact that our Heavenly Father knows best.
The key is to remember the bottom line, the ultimate goal of God which is your salvation. This makes it easier to say and live, "Your will be done" -- even if God's will for us is pain and misery, years in a nursing home or an early death. Yield to God's will, not blaming Him, but rather praising Him for His continual goodness and goal for your soul. Just as Jesus without complaint submitted to God, so also should we, accepting what God has laid before us. Certainly we can ask Him to change our lot in life, but always with the attitude, "not my will, but Your will, O Lord, be done."
