Luke 22:42 “Father, if you are willing, take this cup from me; yet not my will, but yours be done.”
I was raised not to question God. I honestly don’t remember whether this was something I was expressly told in church or a conclusion I reached on my own, but I struggled with it for years (and years and years). Jesus, here, shows what honest, fervent communication with the Father looks like.
Luke 22:43 An angel from heaven appeared to him and strengthened him.
I have prayed before, earnestly, “Lord, I *hate* this situation. I loath it. This isn’t fair. This isn’t right. But I trust You. I love you. I trust that You are making a way in this wilderness, even now. Even through this.” Jesus’s prayer in the garden taught me that the ability to have that kind of gut-level honesty with my Creator is part of a loving relationship with Him.
Luke 22:44 And being in anguish, he prayed more earnestly, and his sweat was like drops of blood falling to the ground.
Lord, Even as You were preparing for death, You were teaching me about how to draw closer to You, how to be earnest in my prayers, even when emotions are high and situations are difficult. Thank You—for the knowledge, for listening to my prayers, for the ability to be honest, even when my soul is in anguish. Help me never to forget that I can always come to You with my whole heart. Amen.
Luke 22:45 When he rose from prayer and went back to the disciples, he found them asleep, exhausted from sorrow.
Have a blessed day.