RHAPSODY OF REALITIES SATURDAY, 14TH JANUARY.
SUBMIT TO HIS WILL.
And he was withdrawn from them about a stone’s cast, and kneeled down, and prayed, Saying, Father, if thou be willing, remove this cup from me: nevertheless not my will, but thine, be done (Luke 22:41-42).
In the opening scripture, we observe how the Lord Jesus agonized earnestly in prayer to the Father. The forty-fourth verse of Luke chapter twenty-two actually says, “And being in an agony he prayed more earnestly: and his sweat was as it were great drops of blood falling down to the ground.” It was a moment of decision for Jesus. In His prayer, He said, “…Father, if thou be willing, remove this cup from me….”
He was referring to His imminent spiritual death, and the fact that, by that death, the Father would turn His back on Him, because the sins of the world would be laid on Him. This was the cause of His indescribable anguish. He knew what was ahead at the cross, a separation from His Father. However, from the beginning, He had prophetically declared, “…Lo, I come (in the volume of the book it is written of me,) to do thy will, O God” (Hebrews 10:7).
He knew what the Father’s will was, and He came to fulfil it, as clearly spelt out in the Word. So, irrespective of the terrible experience, the painful separation from the Father, which He loathed, He submitted Himself to the Father’s will. He was the expression and fulfilment of the will of the Father. This is what your life must be about: the fulfilment of the will of the Father.
If you ever find yourself at the crossroads of life, choose the Father’s will. You might ask, “What if I don’t know His will concerning the issue?” That’s one of the reasons you have the Holy Spirit; ask Him, and He’ll reveal it to your spirit. In addition, as you study the Word and meditate, the will of God is unveiled to your spirit. God’s Word is His will expressed; His wisdom is in His Word. Therefore, when you act on the Word, you’re living out the will of God.
Don’t try to look for a “new” will of God; stay in the Word! In the moment of physical weakness and pain, hold on to the Word, and you’ll receive strength. The Bible says concerning Jesus in His moment of anguish: “And there appeared an angel unto him from heaven, strengthening him” (Luke 22:43). Who was that angel? The Holy Ghost! When you come to a crisis moment, pray earnestly, affirming the Word, and you’d receive strength to do the will of the Father.
PRAYER
Dear Father, thank you for strengthening me by your Spirit to do your will always. You’re the one working in me, both to will and to do your good pleasure. My life is a daily expression of your will, and I fulfil your purpose and destiny for me with glory and joy, in Jesus’ Name. Amen.
FURTHER STUDY:
Philippians 2:13 Romans 8:26-27 Romans 12:2
1 YEAR BIBLE READING PLAN:
Matthew 10:24-42 Genesis 34-35
2 YEAR BIBLE READING PLAN:
Matthew 6:1-13 Genesis 14