by Angela Moreno

“Father, if you are willing, please take this cup of suffering away from me. Yet I want your will to be done, not mine.” – Luke 22:42

These were the distressed words of our Savior as He faced His final assignment on this earth— crucifixion. He was pleading and asking God to take away the situation He faced.

What is your “cup of suffering?” What are you begging your Heavenly Father to take away from you or to do for you? A drug addiction? Poverty and need? Pain that is deep in your heart? Are you in a season of waiting that seems like it will never end?

Life is full of situations. As believers we were never promised an easy life. Jesus told us that we would all face trials and tribulation during our time on this earth (John 16:33).  Even the Apostle Paul had a “thorn of the flesh” that he constantly prayed God would remove (2 Corinthians 12:7).

Our reaction to our “cup” or our “thorn” is what matters. Jesus was in agony over His assignment. He asked three times for this assignment to go away. He was not looking forward to the brutal death that awaited Him. He was sweating profusely, so much so that His sweat was described as drops as large as blood (Luke 22:44). Jesus was in anguish over this decision. He could have walked away and said no. But the final words of His plea say it all:  “Yet I want your will to be done, not mine.”

I understand how difficult some of life’s situations are. Personally I’m going through a situation that is pressing me to my limits. There are days I’m angry at God and have to beg for His forgiveness. I feel hopeless on other days. My “cup” seems too much for me to bare at times. It gets even more difficult when you feel that you have been faithful and know God could easily change your situation. But in the end, Jesus’s words and how He handled Himself during a time where He needed help the most get me through: “Yet I want your will to be done, not mine.”

God will get you through anything. When our strength isn’t enough we are to lean on Jesus and let Him be our strength. Then Jesus said, “Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you. Let me teach you, because I am humble and gentle at heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy to bear, and the burden I give you is light” (Matthew 11:28-30).

Let Jesus carry the load of your “cup” or your “thorn”. He doesn’t mind. He actually wants to do this for you.