Deal With It
He withdrew about a stone’s throw beyond them, knelt down and prayed, “Father, if you are willing, take this cup from me; yet not my will, but yours be done.” An angel from heaven appeared to him and strengthened him. And being in anguish, he prayed more earnestly, and his sweat was like drops of blood falling to the ground. ––Luke 22:41-44
Jesus was honest with His Father about the difficulty of accepting the plan. Jesus knew that the pain would be almost more than He could bear. And though He prayed for another way, He was surrendered to God. In the end, Jesus wanted God’s plan more than His own comfort. That’s a gutsy man praying a gutsy prayer.
What does it take to become like our leader, Jesus? Total submission to let the Father direct the dream of Christ-likeness, giving Him unrestricted freedom to choose the way to accomplish it.
If you are tempted to grab a parachute and bail out of the dream, or if you are asking God if there is another way “to do this thing,” you are in good company. God forms His Son into our lives in ways we would not always choose ourselves. God’s men through the ages recognized that suffering was part of the process if the dream was to be accomplished.
The point is this: sacrifices and suffering are part of the deal. What will those sacrifices look like for you? Only God knows. So if you are reading this and are experiencing a trial that is stretching you to the limit, be encouraged, my brother. Like a blacksmith forging tempered steel, God is forging His Son in you. Don’t forget that Satan is planting other thoughts in your mind—thoughts of blame, lack of vision, or thoughts that the process is too hard, and you might as well just give up. Satan means all this suffering for evil, but your Father means to use it for good!
Father, thank You for Your plan and Your promise.