In Mark 14:36 I read, “Abba, Father . . . everything is possible for you. Take this cup from me. Yet not what I will, but what you will.” (NIV)
To have the mind of Christ means I want to do God’s will, even when it’s painful, difficult, and seems impossible. Jesus gave me the ultimate example of this the night before he went to the cross.
In the Garden of Gethsemane, Jesus was in agony knowing the pain he was going to face the next day—not just the physical pain but the emotional and spiritual pain of being separated from his Father as he carried the shame and weight of our sin.
Even then, Jesus prayed, “Abba, Father . . . everything is possible for you. Take this cup from me. Yet not what I will, but what you will” (Mark 14:36 NIV). In Gethsemane, Jesus said that he wanted to do God’s will, not his own, even if it was painful.
Any time I’m in pain, pray the Garden of Gethsemane prayer. There are three parts to it. The first part is faith. Jesus believed God had the power to change his situation.. Whatever kind of situation I’m going through, I can start by praying in faith, “God, I know you’ve got the power to change this.”
Then ask God for his help. It’s appropriate to say, “God, I’m asking for your help. I’m in a lot of pain right now, and I need some relief. I’m asking for you to do a miracle. I know you have the power to change the situation, and I’m asking you to do it.”
The third part of the Gethsemane prayer is surrender, and its key to learning to have the mind of Christ. Pray like Jesus did: “Lord, even though I’m asking you to take away the pain, I surrender to you. More than anything else, even more than relief, I want your will, not mine.”
Are you ready to say that to God in your hour of greatest need? When you do, you show my spiritual maturity and trust in God to continue to provide for me and use my trouble for good.
In summary, Father I know everything is possible for you. Take this pain from me. Yet not what I want, but what you want. To have the mind of Christ means that I too want to do God’s will, even when it’s painful, difficult, or seems impossible. Jesus said that he wanted to do God’s will, not his own, even if it was painful. So any time I’m in pain, I too can pray Jesus’ prayer. The first part is faith. Jesus believed God had the power to change his situation. “God, I know you’ve got the power to change this.” Then ask God for his help. “God, I’m asking for your help. I’m in a lot of pain right now, and I need some relief. I’m asking for you to do a miracle. I know you have the power to change the situation.” The third part is surrender, and its key to learning to have the mind of Christ. “Lord, even though I’m asking you to take away the pain, I surrender to you. More than anything else, even more than relief, I want your will, not mine.” Then trust in God to continue to provide for me and use my trouble for good.
Father, I thank you for this reminder and with the help of the Holy Spirit to be able to practice it. I ask you today for healing for the head colds that both Jeannie and I are experiencing. I also ask for wisdom and guidance for my day, my work, my leadership and my interactions with others. I also pray for my future job and that you help provide some promising situations soon so that I can not have it as an item in the back of my mind. I will trust in you for the outcome and surrender to whatever your plans are for me. These things I pray through your Son Jesus’ name, amen.
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