Mark14:35-36

“Abba, Father,” Jesus said, “everything is possible for you. Take this cup from me. Yet not what I will, but what you will.”

A long night. Another sleepless night. Worry. There are bills to pay. From where will the money come? What needs to be paid first? Can I squeeze in another job? There are loved ones who are suffering. Hearts are aching. Sadness is overwhelming.

Still awake. Busyness. Too many things to plan, too many obsta-cles to jump. How can it all be done? What needs to be done first? Second? Third? Why am I responsible for it all? Stress is building.

Look at the clock. Is it really that time? Loss. Turned inside out, left to dry. A missing so deep that it aches to the very core. Tears, many of them, and they don’t ease the pain and sadness.

Awakening fear! Heart pounding, breathing quickens. Did I study enough for the test? Will my loved one make it through the surgery? Will I lose my home?

REMOVE THIS CUP! That’s when we can go to the Word. Yes, Father, remove this cup. And everything eases. Breathing slows, hearts calm, minds ease. And it isn’t because our Abba Father necessarily “takes the cup,” but He takes the BURDEN. “Not my will, but Your will,” Jesus prayed.

What a lesson our Savior teaches us in this passage! Our Father knows and does what is best for each of us. And understanding that, truly digesting it, gives us the confidence we need to get through our daily lives, because we know in the end it will be God’s will. Peace comes, the kind of peace that only God can give us. And the burden is lifted. Peace. Rest.

Abba Father, thank you for sending Your Son, Jesus, to be our example, our Teacher. Help me listen to His words and follow His example. Thank you for giving me the peace I need and lifting my burdens. Amen.

Contributed by Kathy Kollmeyer