Getting through victoriously

Easter is a few weeks away and I am so excited because I will be celebrating an act served as the beginning of victory in my life. However, looking at how this really happened, I see what our lives are really made of and what God is capable of doing through every situation that we have to go through. By saying this, I am talking about the events that took place in the garden of Gethsemane before the arrest and the crucification of Jesus Christ.  Many times in His ministry, Jesus had spoken about His death. Salvation was His top on the list of goals for Him to accomplish on earth. This would be achieved through His death on the cross which was His last but the greatest thing that He was to accomplish. 

All along, Jesus seemed so ready for it, that He even at one point rebuked the devil in Peter, who was trying to say to Him that He was not going to die, which meant that He would not accomplish this purpose. However, it appears differently when we see Jesus in the garden of Gethsemane pleading with God to take the cup of suffering away from Him. It must have been so bad for Jesus to accept the fact that He would be betrayed by one of His disciples and denied by another but I believe that accepting that He would die on the cross and suffer all the pain, shame, rejection and crucifixion was even worse.

If I can be very sincere with you, this prayer of Jesus for the cup of suffering to be taken away from Him really encourages me a lot. The fact that Jesus the Messiah and my savior was going through so much pain and pleading with God to take this away from Him helps me to realize that in my own flesh I can’t do anything. That it is normal for me to want to run away from pain even when it is for the glory of God, for my good or for the good of a loved one. However, His next part of prayer in Gethsemane gives me greater joy. It blesses and encourages my soul to read how Jesus even with all the pain that He foresaw that He would suffer, He chose to surrender to the will of God. “My father, if it is not possible for this cup to be taken away unless I drink it, may your will be done (Matthew 26:42)”. These were powerful words. I believe after these words, Jesus received all the strength that He needed to show His love for us through the events of the cross which led to our salvation.

Many times in my life just like Jesus, I have found myself resisting the will of God especially when it seems to have some pain involved. Many times I have fallen asleep while crying and continued with the crying after waking up asking God if I really had to do it. However, every time I am reminded of this story about Jesus, I wipe my tears, wash my face, put on a smile and let the will of God be done in my life. It is not an easy thing to do.  Jesus Himself told the disciples that although the spirit is always willing to go through those painful experiences that lead to victory, there will always be struggles with our weak flesh. However, I have come to learn that if we choose to surrender to the will of God and let it prevail, He will and has already given us the strength we need to go through it and come out victorious.

It can be difficult at times when we have to go through such painful experiences but the bible in 1 Corinthians 10:13 tell that such experiences are common to men and that God is faithful and can never allow us go through more than what we can bear. If we surrender to Him and choose to go through it for His glory, He will give us the strength we need and the result will be victory through Him.

God bless you and keep growing in Him.