YESTERDAY IS AS TODAY
And he went a little farther, and fell on his face, and prayed, saying O my Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me: nevertheless not as I will, but as thou wilt.” (Matt 26:39, KJV)
Could I have traveled to a distant land, an unfamiliar place halfway around the world? Did I somehow journey to a hostile society in a strange culture with a different language, and yet not leave the comfort of my room? And in so doing, encounter the single most significant person in my life? I believe I did.
My typical evening prayer transformed into an extraordinary one when I reflected on Jesus’ great suffering while alone in the Garden of Gethsemane. His earthly companions abandoned him through it all. They couldn’t continue to pray during that daunting hour as he sweat drops of blood in preparation for estrangement from the Father. I reached for my Bible and clung to it as if it was a life raft. For some reason it never occurred to me until then, what a privilege it was to hold the rest of the story in my hands. Something my ancient brothers could only hope to do at least for a time. Yet, they had the indescribable benefit of having met the Lord face-to-face!
Jesus was no more human than on that night in the garden and on the following day when he hung on the cross. And no more God as he bridled his all-consuming power, to not give up on us, but rather fulfill his forever promise to us.
My experience occurred right after I read the famous Matthew passage. Although I had read it several times before, this time the realness of his pain brought me out of denial. It drew the strength from my knees – It created an immediate and overwhelming desire to direct my prayer not only to Him, but with...
... middle of paper ...
...ought more personal encounters with the Savior since that night, I never had another quite like this. Not all prayers being equal, I realized they can’t always reach that level of intensity.
The questions still remained: Did I travel to a distant land, an unfamiliar place halfway around the world and not leave the comfort of my room? Yet, encounter the single most significant person in my life? Well, maybe not physically. But I did in spirit.
Words? What words can I find that would express my deep appreciation and indebtedness to the God of my salvation? I can’t help but be in awe of him and his desire to
love each and every one of us so intimately.
Hence, I humbly offer myself completely—not just in word or in prayer but as a living testimony to the most significant person in my life—Jesus—Who is Lord!
References: 1Luke 15:3-10 and John 10:11
While this was taking place, I saw before me a mysterious person similar to the one I had seen on the evening of August the 5th. The only difference was that his hands and feet and side were dripping blood. The sight terrified me and what I felt at that moment is indescribable. I thought I should have died if the Lord had not intervened and strengthened my heart which was about to burst out of my chest. The vision disappeared and I became aware that my hands, feet and side were dripping blood.” He then goes on about the pain he experienced for the next week.
For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast. (ESV)
My father and mother would always instruct me how to pray by reciting the Lord’s Prayer. Every morning we would go in my parents’ bedroom, get on our knees and begin to pray. This devotional time was spent every morning as soon as we got out of bed. In fact, if we were asleep we were awakening to begin our daily devotion. I remember, my father would begin the prayer and each of us had to lead a portion of the ongoing prayer. My parents always instilled in me that prayer was the key to anything that I wanted to accomplish in life. However, after I prayed, I needed to believe that the work was already accomplished. Growing up in my environment, I could not understand as a child why they would wake me out of the bed in order for to come and pray. Today, I can honestly say I appreciate my parents for showing me the value of prayer. I can relate to the topic of the use of prayer because of a situation which transpired in my life approximately fifteen years ago. I have experienced the miraculous power and the value of prayer. My father was the manager and lead singer of a gospel group. The group would rehearse every Tuesday night with the singers and the musicians which consisted of approx ten members. On this particular Tuesday night after rehearsal, he complained of a slight headache. He didn’t think much more about the headache because he thought he just needed some rest after a long day at
“ And I kept sincerely waiting for Jesus, waiting and waiting but he didn’t come. I wanted to see him, but nothing happened to me. Nothing! I wanted something to happen to me!” (Pa...
As time went by, I felt I didn’t have a great testimony, that my story was not important. I found myself listening to countless inspirational speakers and pastors who had mi...
When Hughes was thirteen he attended a revival with his Aunt it was his turn to "see Jesus," his entire community and church all waiting expectantly for the moment when he was finally saved from sin. Unfortunately for Hughes, salvation did not occur. His fellow peers that he would be delivered, to Jesus convinced him. He was so caught up in the idea that when it did not happen, and when it did not, he felt like an outcast amongst his religious community. People crying, and praying for him at his feet, Hughes did not want to be the reason for all the madness happening around him. He stood up and acted as if his salvation had come to him, although deep within he knew it had not. "My aunt came and knelt at my knees and cried, while prayers and songs swirled all around me in the little church. The whole congregation prayed for me alone, in a mighty wail of moans and voices” (Hughes 111-112). Influenced by the wales and the cries, Hughes started to feel as if he was the problem, that something was wrong and it was up to him to fix it. As the congregation prayed for him alone, and his aunt cried and prayed by his feet, a wave of social pressure came to him at once. To stop the crying, and the constant praying there was only one thing to be done, although he knew he was never actually saved, he stood to his feet, and the religious community and church all rejoiced as they
As my friend poured her heart out to me and ask questions I didn't really have answers to, as I sat there listening: I prayed. I prayed for my friend. That God would guide her and comfort her. I asked God to give me the words to say to bring encouragement and comfort to her.
I consider myself lucky to have been gifted with several talents and skills but even a simple write-up like this to share God's love would take me a lot of proddings and delays to start. Hearing
One of the greatest debates that continues to rage on amongst theologians, as well as others, is in regards to the balance between the humanity and the divinity of the person of Jesus Christ (also known as Christology). This debate can be especially challenging in the Scripture passage of Matthew 26:36-46 where the reader finds Jesus praying in the Garden of Gethsemane. Many of the ancient and medieval theologians worked to explain away apparent humanistic characteristics seen in this section of the text, while more modern theologians seem to be more open to embracing these characteristics. While the ancient and medieval theologians may not have embraced the humanity of Jesus, the translations and backgrounds of the words “cup”, “grieved”, and “agitated”, along with the translation of the passage itself, the humanity of Jesus is not only present in the passage but also a necessity to the salvation of humanity through the sacrifice of Jesus. Simply put, for the salvation through death to be relatable for humanity, Jesus had to also be, at least in part, fully human as well as being fully divine.
Jim described the secret grace of God as “a dying person thanking God for blessings” or a “dying person appreciating the beauty of nature”. During the Spiritual Formation portion of the retreat, my group shared insights on the secret graces of God. As we shared, grace was renewed for me through several memories. First, I remembered how God enabled me to care for my sick husband through my own illness. Then grace was renewed through my memory of how my husband suffered with Cancer and renal failure for five years and never experienced pain. Grace according to Krisher, “reveals the character of God as self-giving, overflowing love and pure generosity”. Grace for me is the opportunity to learn the nature of Christ through history, the renewing of grace and studying His
While I was worshipping God, my family came to mind. As I worshipped God for His faithfulness and goodness, I began to think about how my family may view God. A lot of my family members aren’t saved and don’t go to church. As I meditated on who God is, I couldn’t help but crave that same revelation for my family. I know that I fall in love with God more and more whenever I spend time with Him. I receive revelations of who He is and I desire to become more like Him the more time I spend with Him. I believe that as I was worshipping God, He gave me a strong desire in that moment to pray for my family. As I was prompted by the Holy Spirit, I began to pray for my family. I was praying that the Lord would send people to them. I began to pray Scripture over their lives and the situation. I ended my prayer with worshipping God and praising Him in advance for His work in them. I left with a peace that transcends a
...o hallelujah to what Christ has done with one man’s obedience and denial of self.
that I am unable to do anything without God's help, I do humbly entreat him
This certain verse points to my second factor of who Jesus Christ is to me; He is my hero. Sometimes I become overwhelmed when I ponder the magnitude of how the Savior of the world died an excruciating death to save me from my sins and guarantee me a place in heaven one day. I find it amazing that a king who should be seated on a throne in Heaven came down to earth and suffered persecution and crucifixion because He loves me that much! The even more amazing part of His death is His resurrection. He experienced death and hell and yet was strong enough to conquer both, as he rose from the grave on the third day. Jesus Christ is not only my Savior, He is my hero! My heart is forever filled with gratefulness for the incredible thing He did on the
It was as if his entire demeanor had changed, his normally joyful personality was now one that seemed full of despair. His once beautiful smile now seemed a little softer. His stature knows echoes that of a man with the weight of the world upon his shoulders, instead of a man filled with joy and general happiness. As we journeyed further into the city, Jesus continued to teach. "What was he talking about, where was he going with all this talk of death and glory?" None of us really knew what was really about to happen, the feelings I had in the aftermath were, indescribable.