God’s “Let” Diary (Part 108) — Let This Cup Pass

Daily Scripture Threshing for Friday, October 2, 2020

Today’s Text: Matthew 26:36-39

Key Verses: Matthew 26:39 (KJV) — “And he went a little further, and fell on his face, and prayed, saying, O my Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me: nevertheless not as I will, but as thou wilt.”

What do we do when life forces us down on our knees? How do we deal with our cup of suffering? What do we do with our Gethsemane? What happens when we would rather desire the cup to pass over than run over? Our meditation this morning takes us to the Garden of Gethsemane where Jesus agonized in prayer three times before being betrayed, arrested, and nailed to cross. Our Lord’s prayer in this garden reveals His vehement struggle with the cup of suffering and anguish that He was about to endure. Knowing how bitter and difficult it would be, Jesus prays to let it pass; but His desire is always to willingly drink the cup and be totally submissive to God's will.

Let it pass is almost always the human response when cups of suffering loom ahead. No one prepares or prays for them. Though our Lord knows that for the new covenant requirement of redemption to be achieved, He had to sacrifice Himself on the cross; yet it was not so fast: it was not an easy cup. Indeed, it was a too bitter cup to drink to save us from our sins. Learning to put off the lesser to achieve the greater is something our Lord teaches us in this text. It may never be easy to pass between our Gethsemane and Calvary. We already loathe the cup ahead and wished it never came. But Jesus sets us an example that before we asked for our cup to pass, we must weigh the pain it brings with its gain. “Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. Consider him who endured such opposition from sinful men, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart” (Hebrews 12:2,3).

Quote for the Day: "Like Christ’s, our triumph when we face our life’s Gethsemane is when Divine will is not altered regardless of the bitterness of our cup.” (Simon Olatunji)

Prayer: O Lord, when I’d rather pray for my cup to pass from me rather than have it run over, please help me to walk in Your will, in Jesus name. Amen.

With all my love and prayers,

Rev Simon Wale Olatunji, PhD

The Darling Bishop (DaBishop),

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