Read: Mark 14:32-42
One of the most repeated commands in Scripture is “Fear Not.” Yet, on the night before his crucifixion, Jesus experienced a dread that literally drove him to his knees. Faced with the reality of the torment that was to come, from physical pain to spiritual separation, Jesus wrestles with his own humanity. No one is exempt from hard days and unwanted circumstances. In Jesus’ moment of greatest need and perhaps of greatest weakness, he spends time modeling what it means to cry out to God. Jesus begins his prayer by asking God to change his outcome, but God does something even more powerful - he changes Jesus’ outlook. In ten verses we see Jesus move from fear to faith because he has a renewed sense of who is in control.
God can use our moments of fear to do a work within us, that is if we are willing to cooperate. Everyone deals with unexpected, unresolvable tensions in life. We all struggle with the anxiety of the unknown, or worse, the looming situations we cannot avoid. What can we do when there is nothing we can do? Following Jesus’ example, we can and should cry out to God in prayer. Sometimes he may step in and change our circumstances, but he will always show up to give us the courage we need to face whatever lies in our path.