Learning How To Pray Pt. 12 Praying In The Hard Times Of Life

Gethsemane: Praying when life is hard.

Matthew 26:36,37  Then cometh Jesus with them unto a place called Gethsemane, and saith unto the disciples, Sit ye here, while I go and pray yonder. 37)  And he took with him Peter and the two sons of Zebedee, and began to be sorrowful and very heavy.  

Here is the next prayer of Jesus recorded in Matthew's gospel. Jesus took His disciples (except for Judas) into the garden of Gethsemane. 

"Gethsemane" literally means the place of an olive oil press and it was well situated at the foot of the Mount of Olives. Thus, when the olive harvest was gathered, it could be readily processed.  

Jesus gave a command to the eleven disciples, to sit in a certain place, while He walked further away to pray to His Father.

However, He took Peter, James and John to a more secluded part of the garden to pray with great agony in His heart. 

Bruising of Messiah was like an olive's first pressing. 

Isaiah 53:5  But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed. 

This is the place where the Father would begin to crush His Son, as Christ took our place. The Father put His wrath for our sin, upon the Lord Jesus Christ. 

Isaiah 53 describes in detail the sufferings of Jesus Christ as He took our place on the cross, to save us of our sins. 

Olive fruit would be lightly pressed at first, to barely break open the skin. This allowed the purest, best tasting oil to flow out and be bottled first. This oil was the lightest in color, best in flavor and most costly. 

Then, increasing pressure was applied to the press, in order to extract more oil which took on a darker color. This oil was also very good and had its own distinctive flavor and richness. 

Thus, the olive pressing process pictures the Father bruising His own Son as the sinner's substitute. Jesus suffered bodily punishment for our sins that is rightly what we should suffer.

Jesus' soul was troubled as Calvary loomed larger.

John 12:27,28  Now is my soul troubled; and what shall I say? Father, save me from this hour: but for this cause came I unto this hour. 28)  Father, glorify thy name. Then came there a voice from heaven, saying, I have both glorified it, and will glorify it again. 

The hour of Jesus' great affliction was drawing near and the very hour of accomplishing our salvation was imminent. 

The soul of Jesus was greatly troubled, because the sinless Son of God was going to endure the wrath of God for our sins. 

He was going to bear our sins in His own body on the cross. Yet, Jesus our faithful Lord and Savior confessed to His Father that this is why He came into the world for this very hour. 

At the Mount of Olives, His sufferings intensified sharply. There our Lord Jesus began His passion. There, the pressures of judgment began to press upon His innocent and pure soul. 

Jesus began to be sorrowful and very heavy. His heart was troubled with great distress because He was going to have to bear our sins. 

Jesus joyfully went to the cross in shame in order to save us from sin.

Hebrews 12:2  Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God.

He was overwhelmed with great sorrow. He was not overwhelmed because He was going to die in our place in order to save us. His redeeming work for our salvation on the cross filled Jesus' heart with great joy. 

Jesus was not overcome with sorrow because He somehow feared death, for He said He had power to lay down His life and power to take it up again. 

He also said that He was the good shepherd who came to die for His sheep, so that they might live (See John 10:11-18).

No, this was a heavy sorrow Jesus carried in His heart due to His Father turning His back on Him, as Jesus bore our sins in His own body on the cross. 

Jesus said "I and my Father are one" but at the cross, the Father would turn away from humanity's sin as Christ bore them and Christ would experience not being one with the Father for the first time (John 10:30).

There it pleased the Father to bruise him, and crush him, so that the fresh oil of eternal life, and the purest of spiritual blessings, might flow to all who turn to Christ with repentant faith. 

Jesus was bruised so that we might partake of the root and fatness of that good Olive, just as the olive fruit was lightly pressed to yield the most pure, best oils. 

There Jesus Christ was squeezed in the wine-press of His Father's wrath but the glorious outcome is pure righteousness imputed to all who have faith in Christ.

Jesus went apart by Himself, leaving Peter, James and John nearby. He shows us that whenever we are wilting under the pressures of this life, we should get alone with Him, to pour out our burdens to Christ. 

Peter, James and John were the three disciples who witnessed the transfiguration of Jesus and He chose them to be faithful witnesses of His agony in the garden. 

Pouring out our hearts in prayer.

Psalm 22:14  I am poured out like water, and all my bones are out of joint: my heart is like wax; it is melted in the midst of my bowels. 

Psalm 22 is a Messianic Psalm, that is, it foretells something about Jesus Christ the Messiah. Psalm 22:1 are the very words Jesus cried out as He hung on the cross. 

This text describes the agonizing prayer time that Jesus experienced in the Garden of Gethsemane. His soul was poured out like water and his heart was like wax that melted, having no strength in Himself.

Pouring out our hearts in agony when we pray.

Luke 22:44  And being in an agony he prayed more earnestly: and his sweat was as it were great drops of blood falling down to the ground. 

Jesus' prayer was so intense and His suffering so deep that He sweat great drops of blood from His pores. 

Luke was the beloved physician and he took note of this condition, because it only occurs rarely. Usually when someone is under life threatening stress. 

This is the moment when Jesus Christ prayed with strong crying and tears (Hebrews 5:7). Jesus was preparing His own soul to be an offering for our sins. 

Jesus identified Himself with our sins, experiencing grief, sorrow and shame from our sins. 

Thoughts to Ponder...

Jesus taught us to pray privately and without distractions, and this is exactly what He did in the garden of Gethsemane. 

Jesus taught us to pray without pretense or hypocrisy and this is exactly what He did in the garden of Gethsemane. 

Jesus taught us to pray with our soul and heart engaged, and this too, is what He did.

This prayer of Jesus shows us that we must run swiftly to our Father when tragedy strikes, when trouble erupts, when heartache and grief assail us. 

We must run to Him in prayer and literally pour out our heart at His throne of grace. We will always find Jesus, the Good Shepherd and Great High Priest ready to hear and answer our prayers.

May we always draw near to Christ and seek His help, for He lives forever to intercede on our behalf.

Bob