Let the Lord Choose for You

Have you ever drunk something so foul that you couldn’t finish it, like milk that you didn’t realize was already spoiled?

In the Garden of Gethsemane, Jesus bowed down and prayed, “O My Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from Me; nevertheless, not as I will, but as You will” (Matthew 26:39 NKJV).

The cup that Jesus gazed into was something that turned His stomach. But it wasn’t a literal cup; it was a cup of suffering. Our Lord recoiled from the knowledge that He—someone who was sinless, perfect, and pure—would have to take upon Himself everything that was sinful, imperfect, and impure.

Jesus had never spent a moment out of fellowship with the Father, but soon He would have to bear all the sins of the world. Jesus knew what was going to happen. He knew that Judas would betray Him, His disciples would abandon Him, and Peter would deny Him. And He knew about the whipping, the crucifixion, and all the rest.

Jesus didn’t want to drink this cup, but He knew He had to. There was no question that it was going to be very difficult for Him, to say the least. He was going to face the full wrath of God against all sin.

But look at what it accomplished. It brought about our salvation. Because of what Jesus did, because He drank that cup, we can call upon His name. Although it was difficult, it was necessary for the attainment of the ultimate goal.

Jesus gave us a model of what to do in times of uncertainty. He prayed, “Not as I will, but as You will.” We are not going to know the will of God in every situation. In those times when we don’t know the will of God, will we let Him choose for us? We must never be afraid to place an unknown future into the hands of a known God.