I Come To The Garden Alone

I have been lucky enough to stand on The Mount of Olives. It is a holy place, and it is especially so for me as I grapple with this current heartache. For it was on the Mount of Olives, in the Garden of Gethsemene, that Christ taught us what it meant to trust God in the midst of suffering and to wait for His divine timing. It was also here that Jesus showed us His humanity and gave a way for me to know that He understands how I feel. In Mark 14:36 He said, "Abba, Father, everything is possible for you. Take this cup from me. Yet not what I will, but what you will." In Luke 22:24, "Father, if you are willing, take this cup from me; yet not my will, but yours be done." In those moments, Jesus experienced intense anguish and loneliness and grief. And yet, He knew that God had a plan and it was for His glory and Jesus trusted Him. I believe God allowed this to happen for me. I believe He allowed this to happen for you. God knew, that those of us who were to come, those of us who would know Him and Christ by faith alone, would need to understand that Jesus has suffered like we suffer. Christ understood what it meant to feel heartbreak and grief and sorrow. And then He showed us what to do. He told us to trust the Father to use it for our good. The crucifixion is life-changing for us, His resurrection offers us hope eternal, but it is this time, in the Garden of Gethsemene where I will meet Jesus this Easter. And He will "walk with me, and talk with me and tell me I am His own, and the joy we share as we tarry there, none other will ever know."

"When obstacles and trials seem

Like prison walls to me,

I do the little I can do

And leave the rest to Thee.
And when there seems

No chance, no change,

From grief can set me free,

Hope finds its strength in helplessness,

And calmly waits for Thee."