“But as You Will”

‘Nope,’ I replied blatantly. Then, I paused for a moment.

Interrupting my pause they goes, ‘Oh! Yes, it’s too much. We’ve watched him suffering in the movie.’

‘Such is his love and grace for human,’ I mumbled.

The question, however, is ‘Would you suffer like him if it were for saving wayward people or unknown to us?’ You get it by now. We were narrating the final hours of Jesus as they tortured, tried to embarrassed, and walked him to the cross.

It’s a great privilege now that we lay down peacefully on our bed while telling the work of Jesus Christ for our salvation. My children are in awe at the power of salvation, which is for all mankind – for the past generations, today’s, and the generation to come.

‘But for us, I think you’ll protect us whatever it takes,’ they continued. It was a good chance for me to reaffirm my love for them. So I grabbed the chance as fast as I could, with a slightly tuned down voice, I said:

‘Sure, boy. The problem is daddy has no or less power. Yet you’ll be guarded, I’ll pray for you always!’

Then the story gets intense. ‘For Jesus to suffer in that way, although he can escape, is because he was following the will of his father – God.’ And that’s why we are saved now!

In the garden of Gethsemane, his soul was overwhelmed with sorrow to the point of death. He goes little farther away from the disciples for one-on-one interaction with his father. And that’s what we should do when we’re in deep trouble, following his footsteps in the spirit.

But As You Will:

Now we talked about the prayer of Jesus in the garden. He fell with his face to the ground and prayed, “My Father, if it is possible, may this cup be taken from me. Yet not as I will, but as you will.” Matt. 26:39

It was not for Him to suffer but for the fallen mankind. This is the question my children had asked me about. Why for others who doesn’t seem to care much? But he is compassionate to mankind – he don’t want them perished. “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.” John 3:16

For the second time he prayed, “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 In my imagination, if I were in that moment and situation, I think Satan/the Evil One would run away in the shadows for his first defeat!

It is the prayer of submission; Jesus is fully committed for the suffering he’d endure in the hands of man. He had left his heavenly power for the love of man who would torture him.

Strengthening and Obedience:

I was astonished, again, to read the episode of Luke 22:41-44. And there appeared to him an angel from heaven, strengthening him. And being in agony he prayed more earnestly; and his sweat became like great drops of blood falling down to the ground.

The angel, when Jesus committed to the will of God, came to strengthen him. But strengthening for what? It is for the agony of pain and suffering he had to endure. “During the days of Jesus’ life on earth, he offered up prayers and petitions with fervent cries and tears to the one who could save him from death, and he was heard because of his reverent submission.” Hebrews 5:7

What he had to face is way too much for a person in its human form. And as for us too, committing to the will of God in the world of agony is where we get strength to face the world in all kinds of suffering and problem.

The difference here with us is also that we who are feeble oppose to the will of God as much as we can. Yet in the very last moment we give in to the will of God, which many times was too late for certain people for their life on earth. However, there is no such thing as too late once we submit to the will of God because he was full of grace.

Suffering and Rest:

The suffering of Jesus on the cross gave us rest, peace of mind, even though we are still living in the world full of agony. Before his victory on the cross, he pleaded “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.” Matthew 11:29 “You will find rest for your souls.”

There is no end to suffering when Jesus pleaded rest to the disciples, he is still yet to suffer. But with his father in his side, he knows there’d be rest if one submit to the will of God. Not once he talked of his superiority; he remained silent through and through, he humbled to suffer for our sin.

In reality, Christian life is demanding; it doesn’t give rest if we don’t fully submit to the will of God. Our submission in the will of God is the defeat of the evil one – resurrection from the death to be with our Savior. His obedience, his silence in the face of suffering, gave us rest in our testing times and beyond.

Reward of Submission:

The prayer of submission in the garden, for Jesus, is the path leading to the victory over evil and following the desire of his father. The experience of his suffering in details is heart wrenching to even think about it. But the victorious part is enthralling.

We find it hard to give-in to the will of God, especially in the face of suffering although we could do nothing, but we tend to envy people who overcome it. To find rest in life we need to pay the price, here to believe in Christ so that we know the price was already paid by Jesus on the cross.

Our sufferings are not worth mentioning in comparison to the son of God. His submission to the will of God nullified our sins if we believed in him and invited him in our hearts. I’m afraid it might be late when we want to say, “Thy will be done.”

When we’re really in trouble we longed for Someone we can submit our being. It can be late when we discover at that time. Yet we, who still have time, should submit ourselves into the will of God. And he will direct our ways.

A father like me can’t protect my children although as much as I wanted but a prayer for through the indwelling Holy Spirit would keep them safe. My submission to God is crucial in my child rearing, as I will be able to lead them in the best way designed for them by our Creator.

Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Amen!