Journey to the Cross | Day 1 | April 5, 2020
I Surrender All | The Garden of Gethsemane
READ | Mathew 26:36-41 | Mark 14:32-42 | Luke 22:40-46
Confederate General Robert E. Lee surrendered the last major Confederate army to Ulysses S. Grant at Appomattox Courthouse on April 9, 1865. This ended the Civil War that lasted four years.
Surrender, in our thinking, is to “cease resistance to an enemy or opponent and submit to their authority.”
Jesus prayed in Mathew 26:39, “My Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from Me. Yet not as I will, but as You will.” This “cup” was His death. He knew that He must die for the sins of the world. He even told His disciples in verse 12, “she has prepared me for burial.”
Jesus in His humanity was asking, “Is this absolutely necessary? Isn’t there another way?” Do you find yourself asking similar questions? God, you want me to give time for my neighbor? More money to help a friend who has lost his job? Spend time in worshipping you?
Jesus in His humanity and His deity, surrendered to the will of God. His surrender was not in defeat to an opponent but through the divine appointment of the Father. He surrendered His will to the Father’s desire to provide the final sacrificial Lamb.
Take a moment and sing or read the words of an old hymn, I Surrender All and let it reaffirm your commitment to surrender “your will for His will.”
Father help each of us to pray with complete abandon regarding our situation and surrender it to You. Amen.
