HAVE YOU LOST FAITH IN GOD OR PEOPLE?

Did you ever reach out to friends for help only to have them bail on you? Have you ever cried out in faith to God for help and been ignored? Were you ever under so much dread that you teetered on the brink of despair? God gets it.

Jesus knows how you feel

Jesus understood that his calling as Israel’s king would be to drink the cup of judgement that they were asking for down to the dregs. Several times he had talked about how he would be rejected and mistreated by his own people and turned over to their enemies as a scapegoat. But when the moment was upon him he didn’t want to go through with it.

“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

God’s answer was silence. His friends who were supposed to be watching and praying for him slept through his hour of need. Three times he was let down by his friends and denied by his Father. But Jesus did not fall over the brink into despair. Why not?

Jesus had the faith to surrender

Look again at Jesus’ prayer. He remembers who his Father is and what he is capable of. He request what he wants. Then he releases control of the outcome.

• Remember – “Abba, Father, all things are possible for you.”
• Request – “Remove this cup from me.”
• Release – “Not what I will, but what you will.”

In three simple sentences we see the secret of surrender and trust. More than just giving up or letting go, surrender is an act of faith. First we have faith in who God is and what he can do. Next we have faith to ask for what we want. Finally, we have faith to leave the outcome up to God.

This is never easy, but it is possible. Jesus shows the way. But we must choose to take it.