Where Do I Turn?
The greatest agony Jesus suffered before His crucifixion was His praying in the Garden of Gethsemane. This crisis drove Christ to the most agonizing praying of His earthly life. In Luke 22.44, we read, “And being in an agony He prayed more earnestly; and His sweat become like great drops of blood falling down to the ground.” The Greek term translated “agony” means “severe suffering.” It denoted severe emotional strain and anguish. What caused such tremendous suffering? It was the approaching crucifixion which He was about to endure. It was also spiritual in the sense that Jesus, the sinlessly perfect Son of God, would bear the sins of the world upon Himself while hanging on the cross. Plus, He experienced separation from God when He cried out, “My God, My God, why have you forsaken Me?” (Matthew 27.46). Suffering did not diminish His efforts but only increased them. What can we learn from Jesus’ suffering in Gethsemane? Christ praying so fervently in His distress reminds us that when crisis comes in our lives, the best thing we can do is pray. We are never in a situation where we cannot pray. The apostle Peter quoted the psalmist saying, “For the eyes of the Lord are on the righteous, and His ears are open to their prayer” (I Peter 3.12). Do you believe in the power of prayer? Then that should be the first thing you do in any time of pain or suffering. Pour your heart out to God just as our Lord did in the garden. How’s your prayer life?
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