“And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.”
-Romans 8:28 NIV
“Then Jesus went with his disciples to a place called Gethsemane, and he said to them, “Sit here while I go over there and pray.” …Then he said to them, “My soul is overwhelmed with sorrow to the point of death. Stay here and keep watch with me.” Going a little farther, 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.” Then he returned to his disciples and found them sleeping. “Couldn’t you men keep watch with me for one hour?” he asked Peter. “Watch and pray so that you will not fall into temptation. The spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak.” He went away a second time and 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 26:36, 38-42 NIV
In Matthew 6, Jesus instruct His followers on how to pray. Within the first two lines of the Lord’s prayer, He instructs us to pray for God’s will. “This, then, is how you should pray: “‘Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name, your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.” -Matthew 6:9-10 In Matthew 26: 36-42, Jesus sets the perfect example for us of what it means to pray for God’s will and submit our will to God’s will. But, it’s not always easy to pray for God’s will. Theologian and scholar, C.S. Lewis wrote, “We are not necessarily doubting that God will do the best for us; we are wondering how painful the best will turn out to be.” – C.S. Lewis Like C.S. Lewis, sometimes we are afraid of God’s will. Perhaps, we fear that to live out God’s will for our lives, we may need to suffer. We may need to sacrifice our dreams, go to faraway places, go through difficult times, lose loved ones, be broken, and ultimately changed. But, experiencing pain and brokenness changes us. Christian songwriter, Jason Gray, wrote, “Nobody wishes for this Nobody is looking for heart-ache But I know sometimes that’s just how it goes I wasn’t asking for easy, I didn’t want the hard way either But I guess that’s what You thought I needed most If my life never would have got broken Then my hands would have never been open.” Pain and suffering change us, by opening our eyes to the hurts of world around us and opening our hands to help those in need. Pain and suffering can be used by God to give us more compassionate hearts and a greater sense of empathy towards others. Just God allows the caterpillar to struggle against its cocoon to transform it into a beautiful butterfly, He also allows us to endure pain and suffering to transform our hearts into the hearts with a greater capacity to love.
Dear Lord Jesus, please give us hearts that are always willing to submit to Your will. Amen.
