“Then cometh Jesus with them unto a place called Gethsemane, and saith unto the disciples, Sit ye here, while I go and pray yonder. And he took with him Peter and the two sons of Zebedee, and began to be sorrowful and very heavy. Then saith he unto them, My soul is exceeding sorrowful, even unto death: tarry ye here, and watch with me. 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. And he cometh unto the disciples, and findeth them asleep, and saith unto Peter, What, could ye not watch with me one hour? Watch and pray, that ye enter not into temptation: the spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak. He went away again the second time, and prayed, saying, O my Father, if this cup may not pass away from me, except I drink it, thy will be done. And he came and found them asleep again: for their eyes were heavy. And he left them, and went away again, and prayed the third time, saying the same words. Then cometh he to his disciples, and saith unto them, Sleep on now, and take your rest: behold, the hour is at hand, and the Son of man is betrayed into the hands of sinners. Rise, let us be going: behold, he is at hand that doth betray me” (Matthew 26: 36–46).
Jesus is a person who prays diligently. Every morning He prays, He comes before God the Father, He strives in prayer. However, do you know the peak of all of the Lord Jesus’ struggle in the Garden of Gethsemane?
Even Jesus, in all His prayer strive, in all His prayer struggle, He had to reach the peak of His prayer in the Garden of Gethsemane, where there was an exchange. What exchange? Exchange of needs. What was that? Preserving life; surviving. All humans have needs, all humans have wants.
The only last human needs and wants that will be preserved is his life. All humans are not willing to have their lives taken. Jesus too needs to survive. Jesus also has the desire to survive. Even Jesus didn’t want to die, let alone die in vain. That is why He struggles and prays, but in the end, He says, “O my Father, if this cup may not pass away from me, except I drink it, thy will be done.” What does it mean? It means Jesus surrendered His needs and wants to God the Father to meet God’s needs and wants.
Jesus also has to undergo alignment according to Father’s needs and will too. Jesus also has to give up His needs, that is, He has to give up His desire to keep living. This was not a trivial matter, this is a serious matter because He gave His own life to atone the sins of all mankind. His sacrifice gave birth to revival, namely the salvation of mankind from sin.
Do you want to be used by God? Do you want to bring revival? How willing are you to give up your life? Jesus died, was buried, then has risen. The death and resurrection of Jesus is a worldwide revival. Since Jesus died and has risen, all mankind can make peace with God, all mankind who have died spiritually can be revived spiritually. We can enjoy Heaven again. Heaven that was lost from human life can return because of Jesus’ death and resurrection.
Are we willing to die for a revival? How eager do we want to be used by God, how eager do we want a revival? What do we really want? If we truly pray, believe that we will experience what Jesus experienced.
Finally, all our strives, all our struggles will peak in the Garden of Gethsemane, where there will be a submission of needs and wants; exchange of needs and wants. We no longer think about our needs and wants, we don’t even need our wants. What we think and pay attention to is my Father, if I have to go through all of that, I will go through them. What important to me is that Your will is fulfilled, it is no longer my will but Your will. It is no longer my need, but Your need.
Also read: The Needs and Wants that are Aligned with God’s Need and Want.
