Matthew 26:36-41 The Cup Nobody Wants
Format for Your Devotions
Instructions: Do not read my example devotion until you have completed your own devotional time in the scriptures. Reading my thoughts first may limit your own understanding. Let the Holy Spirit speak to you alone before looking to see what anyone else has to say, whether it is me, a Bible commentary, or a friend. Let God speak to you before you let another person speak to you. I have provided a format, but modify it to fit your needs. For example, I usually combine my application and prayer together talking to God about the application to my own life. You can go through this devotion process mentally, speaking out loud, or in writing as you wish. Don’t worry if you are not following this process exactly. Sometimes, I add extra information and sometimes I emphasize one part more than others. However, you should always think about what you learn about God from this passage.
Step 1: Pray–Ask for the Holy Spirit’s guidance first of all and that God may reveal the lessons that He wants you to have that day. Request that God protect you from Satan’s distractions (and the devil will try to distract you whether it is pinching the baby or putting you to sleep). Ask to see God more clearly as you read and think about the passage.
Step 2: Read the passage–Read to get an overview of the information first. Then start looking at specific parts after the first reading. You may read a larger or smaller section than I have here because you do not have to follow my organization at all.
Step 3: Understand the passage–You can summarize, ask and answer your own questions about the passage, visualize the story, analyze the characters, and relate this passage to other scriptures and personal experiences.
Step 4: What does this reveal about God?–What do you learn about the Father, Son, and/or Holy Spirit from this passage?
Step 5: Apply this to your own life.
Step 6: Prayer
My Example Devotion: August 30, 2019 Matthew 26:36-41
Note: In the devotion examples, I leave my questions and thought processes in the text because I am trying to demonstrate that a devotional time is a dialogue with God about what you are reading from His word. As such, any questions or ideas that you have should be explored by talking it out with God. These example devotions are not my attempts to teach you what the meaning of a particular scripture is. They are an attempt to teach you the process of devotions, which is a combination of prayer and Bible study where you explore ideas with God as you read His word.
Then Jesus went with them to a place called Gethsemane, and he said to his disciples, “Sit here, while I go over there and pray.” And taking with him Peter and the two sons of Zebedee, he began to be sorrowful and troubled. Then he said to them, “My soul is very sorrowful, even to death; remain here, and watch with me.” And going a little farther he fell on his face and prayed, saying, “My Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me; nevertheless, not as I will, but as you will.” And he came to the disciples and found them sleeping. And he said to Peter, “So, could you not watch with me one hour? Watch and pray that you may not enter into temptation. The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak.”
(Application) The inability to stay awake describes me in the morning, especially this morning. I try to stay awake but I keep nodding off. Today, I have a good excuse because of the storm and electrical outage, but most days I don’t. I know that some days are going to be like that, but the key is to keep trying. Many times, I think I have not received any spiritual insights on the day that I am nodding off, but when I reread the devotion on the next day, I am surprised many times at the profound lessons that speak to my heart as I reread my previous drowsy thoughts.
(Revelation of God) According to something I read in EGW, Jesus pled with the father to be the death substitute for man, yet here He pleads that if possible, He doesn’t want to do it. I think this is the difference between omniscience and not. Jesus knew their was no other way before His incarnation, but as a man, He was limited in His understanding and did not clearly see that this was the only way. He pled that the Father, who was not limited, would find a different way to accomplish the goal. I think the difference tells us a lot about how much the Father did not want the Son to go through the anguish and how terrible the anguish was. The Father hated to be separated from the Son more than anything in history. The Son hated to be separated from the Father, and it was killing Him physically even before the ultimate separation. This was torture for both, yet they chose to do it because they love us. I need to trust God to love me.
(Understanding the Text) Jesus says that He is sorrowful unto death. He was not someone who exaggerated, so the sorrow in His soul was actually killing Him. This was before the cross or any torture laid on Him by humans, so it had to be the beginning of our sins separating Him from the Father. Isaiah 53:6 says “All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned—every one—to his own way; and the LORD has laid on him the iniquity of us all.” This must have been the beginning of this process, which culminated in Jesus crying out “My God. My God. Why have you forsaken me?” Jesus knew what was happening and why it was happening, but His emotions rejected the process. I have found that I am never lonely with Jesus with me, so I can imagine that Jesus, with His close connection to the Father, felt an unbearable loneliness as sin separated them. This was why He craved the closeness of His human companions to find some relief, I think.
(Prayer) I want to always be aware of Your love and to remember that You are always with me. Don’t let me ever forget Your presence and support.