Jesus and His Distress

“And going a little farther, He fell on the ground and prayed that, if it were possible, the hour might pass from him. And He said, ‘Abba, Father, all things are possible for you. Remove this cup from me. Yet not what I will, but what you will.’” (Mark 14:35-36)

I recently re-read these verses as I was preparing to write a devotional for a contest I was entering. The contest theme focused on fear, anxiety, and stress. I know I’ve read these verses hundreds of times, but I didn’t make the connection, until now, that Jesus could not only relate to my feelings of anxiety, stress, and fear, but He showed me how to handle them through His actions.

I think we can all agree that no one probably feels as much stress, fear, and anxiety as one who is about to face death. Jesus was not only facing a torturous and painful death on the cross, but He was also facing the wrath of God for our sins. So, it would be natural for Him to feel “greatly distressed and troubled” as verse 33 explains. I have to admit, knowing my Savior understands my anxiety (which by the way, none of it has come close to what He experienced), brings me a bit of comfort. Don’t get me wrong. I hate He had to suffer, especially on my account. I find it comforting because He understands what I’m feeling – the pit in my stomach, the pounding heart, the tightness in the chest. He can sympathize with me.

Something else to take note of is that anxiety, fear, and stress is not a sin. These are natural feelings God built into us for practical purposes. For example, if you see a bear chasing after you, then you will fear that bear and play dead. It’s what you do with that fear, anxiety, or stress that can lead to sin. I usually begin the “What If” game in my head. You may know the game yourself – where you imagine every scenario that could possibly happen, each one being worse than the other. All this does is take my focus off God and place it on myself. When I choose to think those fearful thoughts, I’m doubting God. Jesus didn’t do that. He didn’t have to play the “What If” game because He knew what was about to occur.

So what did Jesus do to handle His distress?

His first and immediate reaction: He fell on His face and prayed to His Heavenly Father. Jesus went immediately and directly to God. He didn’t forget to go to pray. He didn’t delay His prayers. He prayed immediately. Several years ago, when my mom was in the hospital, her condition took a turn for the worst. Of course, fear and anxiety filled my soul as each day saw no improvement in her condition. I took my concerns to God. I rose early in the morning and prayed and sought after God. I prayed over my mom when I visited her at the hospital. I prayed in the car driving home. I asked friends to pray for her. Many prayers were said on her behalf. Honestly, I didn’t know what else to do but pray.

So, how should we pray?

When Jesus prayed, He asked God to “remove this cup” from Him. It’s not a sin to ask God to give me a different circumstance or to provide another way. I need to be prepared though for His answer to be “no.” When my mom was dying, I prayed for God to heal her. After the doctors’ many attempts to help her, we realized she was not going to improve. It was difficult to accept His answer of “no” to my numerous prayers, but that didn’t mean He didn’t love me or my mom. Remember, His thoughts and ways are higher than our thoughts and ways (Isaiah 55:8-9). Which leads me to another point – surrender.

In order to accept His ways, we must surrender our will to His. That’s exactly what Jesus did. He said in verse 36, “Yet not what I will, but what you will.” God knows the whole story. He knows what will happen in the future. He also has a plan for our lives and He loves us. We need to surrender our will over to His and trust Him and His plan. Trust me, I know this is difficult. When I realized my mom was going to die, I pleaded with God for a different outcome. It didn’t happen. My mom passed away. At that moment, I chose to surrender my will to His. I’ve chosen not to surrender to His will before, but all that led to was misery, anger, loneliness, and separation from God. If you think about it, not surrendering to His will is actually a battle that is rooted in pride. When we begin to think our ways are better than God’s, then we are allowing pride to rule our hearts.

One final note about this passage. If you read this story in the Gospel of Luke, you will see there is a bit more to it. Luke 22:43 says “And there appeared to Him an angel from heaven, strengthening Him.” This, to me, is proof that God will not leave us alone in our times of anxiety and stress. He strengthens us and comforts us through His Holy Spirit. When I surrendered to His will regarding my mom, I sought refuge in Him through prayer and meditation on His Word. I handed Him my shattered heart. Through my surrender, He carried me through one of the most difficult times in my life, and He gave me a peace that surpassed my understanding.

I pray when you find yourself stressed, fearful or full of anxiety, you will remember how our Savior handled His. Take comfort in knowing we serve a Savior who understands what we are experiencing. Through prayer, petition, and surrender, our LORD will give us the strength and courage we need to work through any difficult situation.