Gethsemane

Garden of Gethsemane - Jerusalem, Israel, May 2018

In moments of sorrow, suffering, worry, fear, or trouble, it is easy to lose sight of both God and the mere fact that His only Son suffered immensely on our behalf. And it all started one dark and sorrowful night in a place that could be called His shelter of the Most High. 

We find in Matthew 26:36-46 Jesus went to this place to pray on the night He was betrayed and denied before His death the next day. 

"Then Jesus went with them to a place called Gethsemane, and he said to his disciples, 'Sit here, while I go over there and pray.' And taking with him Peter and the two sons of Zebedee, he began to be sorrowful and troubled. Then he said to them, 'My soul is very sorrowful, even to death; remain here, and watch with me.' And going a little further he fell on his face and prayed, saying, 'My Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me; nevertheless, not as I will, but as you will.'"

- Matthew 26:36-39

This past May, I went to Israel. When we entered through the gates of the Garden of Gethsemane, I was struck by its beauty but was also overwhelmed by the fact that our Lord Jesus knelt down to the Father in this place with the weight of the world upon His shoulders.

There is encouragement in His prayer because it is a gentle reminder that while suffering, sorrow, fear, or trouble might feel like God's disinterest towards us, it is, in fact, the very opposite of that--He suffered greatly, too, and even felt very much afraid and troubled. 

We are not alone in the things that feel harsh, scary, and burdensome. He carried our griefs and sorrows all the way from the garden to the tomb so that He could give us freedom and release from the things that torment us. He knows and understands. He feels it, too. 

This fractured world offers no real comfort and understanding. But when I pause and reflect on the stories woven within the Word, I am reminded of a few thousand people before me that knew the very same things I know today. And somehow I don't feel so alone anymore. Whether that is wandering in a desolate place with no end of a promise land in sight, crossing a massive ocean and forgetting that He's still near, seeing all that you hold dear taken away without warning, doubting God's provision in the midst of human logic, or feeling so alone as the Father hides His face--the stories of old are still true today and those that experienced them were very much alive. 

One night a very long time ago, a man named Jesus of Nazareth fell to the ground with a heavy and troubled soul and obediently and humbly took on the weight of this broken world in a place He often went to find shelter and solitude. 

"You that live in the shelter of the Most High and lodge under the shadow of the Almighty, who say, 'The LORD is my safe retreat, my God the fastness in which I trust'; he himself will snatch you away from fowler's snare or raging tempest. He will cover you with his pinions, and you shall find safety beneath his wings;...his truth will be your shield and your rampart...For you, the LORD is a safe retreat; you have made the Most High your refuge...Because his love is set on me, I will deliver him; I will lift him beyond danger, for he knows me by my name. When he calls upon me, I will answer; I will be with him in time of trouble; I will rescue him and bring him to honor. I will satisfy him with long life to enjoy the fullness of my salvation." - Psalm 91, The New English Bible