“He told them,‘My soul is crushed with grief to the point of death. Stay here and keep watch with me.’”(Mark 14:34 nlt)

　　Haveyoueverfeltlonely?Haveyoueverfeltasthoughyourfriendsandfamilyhad abandonedyou?Haveyoueverfeltlikeyouweremisunderstood?Haveyoueverhad a hard time understanding or submitting to the will of God for your life? Ifso,thenyouhaveanideaofwhattheLordJesuswentthroughwhenHeagonizedat Gethsemane.

　　The book of Hebrews tells us, “This High Priest of ours understands our weaknesses, for he faced all of the same testings we do, yet he did not sin.So let us come boldly to the throne of our gracious God. There we will receive his mercy, and we will find grace to help us when we need it most”(4:15–16 nlt).

　　Thebook of IsaiahtellsusthatJesuswas“amanofsorrows,acquaintedwithdeepestgrief”(53:3 nlt).ButthesorrowHeexperiencedinGethsemaneonthenightbeforeHiscrucifixion seemedtobetheculminationofallthesorrowHehadeverknown andwouldaccelerateto aclimaxthefollowingday. TheultimatetriumphthatwastotakeplaceatCalvarywasfirst accomplished beneath the gnarled, old olive trees of Gethsemane. Jesus shared His agony with His disciples. “He told them,‘My soul is crushed with grief to the point of death. Stay here and keep watch with me’”(Mark 14:34 nlt).

　　It’s interesting that the very word Gethsemanemeans “olive press.” Olives were pressed there to make oil, and truly, Jesus was being pressed from all sides that He might bring life to us.Idon’tthinkwecanevenbegintofathomwhatHewasgoingthrough.Isaiah53:5says, “But he was pierced for our rebellion,crushed for our sins.He was beaten so we could be whole. He was whipped so we could be healed” (nlt). That’s the hard truth of our salvation: Jesus had to suffer and die in our place. He had to endure the punishment that we deserved. He was crushed and beaten for our sake. He could have walked away, but He submitted to His Father’s will so that the plan of salvation could be accomplished.

　　Hiscrushing and beating brought about your salvationandmine.BecauseofwhatJesuswentthroughatGethsemaneandultimatelyatthecross, wecancallonHisname.ThoughHis suffering and deathwereunfathomablyexcruciating,they were necessary for God’s ultimate goal.

　　Maybeyou’reatacrisispointinyourliferightnow—apersonalGethsemane,ifyou will.Youknowwhat youwant, yetyoucansensethatGod’swillisdifferent.WouldyoulettheLordchooseforyou?Wouldyoubewillingtosay,“Lord,Iamsubmittingmywillto Yours.Notmywill,but Yoursbedone”? Youwillnever regretmaking thatdecision.

　　Reflection question: How would you explain the hard truth about Jesus’ sacrifice to an unbeliever?

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　　Greg Laurieis the pastor and founder of the Harvest churches in California and Hawaii and of Harvest Crusades. He is an evangelist, best-selling author, and movie producer. His latest film ‘Jesus Revolution,’ from Lionsgate and Kingdom Story Company, is now available on-demand worldwide.

　　For more relevant and biblical teaching from Pastor Greg Laurie, go to www.harvest.org

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