Jesus' Most Difficult Prayer

You struggle with difficult prayers at times. So did Jesus. 

He was fully God and fully man, so how can this be?
Jesus was and is God (John 10:30), but He chose to limit His divine "omnis" during His time on earth (omnipresence, omniscience, omnipotence...Philippians 2:5-8).

He took on human flesh to be our sacrifice for sin and our example for life.

One of those great moments of example is found as Jesus prays in the Garden prior to the cross. In His prayer, I find 3 reminders that carried Jesus through His most difficult prayer and can do the same for us. 

And Jesus said, "Abba, Father, all things are possible for you. Remove this cup from me. Yet not what I will, but what you will."  Mark 14:36

Did you notice the three reminders for our prayers struggles?

1) "God can do anything."
Jesus recognizes the current difficulty doesn't diminish God's ability. God could do absolutely anything and Jesus prefaces His upcoming request with this recognition.

2) "God do this."
Jesus specifically prays for any other options. Could He have been thinking of Abraham once on the very edge of sacrificing his own son, Isaac, before God stopped him at the last moment? Jesus was not afraid to pray specifically. We are not called to hide our true feelings from God in prayer. He invites us to be honest with our fears and hopes.

3) "God do what's best."
I can't help but think of Ephesians 3:20 here: "Now to him who is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think."

Jesus knows what God can do.
Jesus knows what He'd like God to do.
Jesus knows that God will do what's best.

Don't be afraid to pray specifically, but also be ok for God to change the specifics. Some of our prayer struggles come from praying so specifically for our will without any room in our heart and mind for God to do something better! He's infinite, eternal, and plans things so much better than you or I.

Finally, don't miss the most comforting part of all this. Jesus prays by calling God, "Abba." This intimate term was not a title, but a statement of affection like calling out "Hey Dad! Hey Pop!" As a child of God, we have the freedom to talk to God at all times as we...
Remember He can do everything. 
Tell Him what you'd like to see done. 
And be ready for Him to do even better than you could ever ask or think.