Repeated Prayer
Matthew 26:36-46
36Then Jesus went with them to a place called Gethsemane, and he said to his disciples, “Sit here, while I go over there and pray.”
37And taking with him Peter and the two sons of Zebedee, he began to be sorrowful and troubled.
38Then he said to them, “My soul is very sorrowful, even to death; remain here, and watch with me.”
39And 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.”
40And he came to the disciples and found them sleeping. And he said to Peter, “So, could you not watch with me one hour?
41Watch and pray that you may not enter into temptation. The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak.”
42Again, for the second time, he went away and prayed, “My Father, if this cannot pass unless I drink it, your will be done.”
43And again he came and found them sleeping, for their eyes were heavy.
44So, leaving them again, he went away and prayed for the third time, saying the same words again.
45Then he came to the disciples and said to them, “Sleep and take your rest later on. See, the hour is at hand, and the Son of Man is betrayed into the hands of sinners.
46Rise, let us be going; see, my betrayer is at hand.”
Entire books have been written about this passage, so to try and do it justice in a few brief paragraphs hardly seems appropriate. But the goal of the blog is to provide a space where Bible reading is done each day and then just a few thoughts are shared that might give cause for further thought. So, the thing that struck me today as I read through this familiar yet exquisite passage is that Jesus goes back to the same prayer three times. In fact verse 44 even says He said the "same words again."
Years ago I had a friend who told me he never prayed for the same thing twice. He took his request to God one time and then let it drop. Since God already knew what he wanted there was no need to repeat it. Obviously, Jesus would not have agreed with him. I think there is an important concept here. It's not about how ardent or how insistent you are about your prayers to The Lord (although there is something to the idea of persistence found in the parables). But here in this story what we find is a clear indication of relationship. Jesus is in the most painful and critical time of His life and He spends that time pouring His heart out to the Father. He even knows the answer to His prayer before He asks! But He asks anyway. It's not about the outcome but about the relationship.
In our most painful moments we turn to family. Jesus turns to His Father and to the Disciples. The Disciples fail Him by their lack of presence but of course the Father is there to hear His prayer. The Father's answer is "no" but the prayer is heard nonetheless. We know this because the Father did send angels to minister to Jesus in His time of sorrow and pain.
Luke 22:41-43
41And he withdrew from them about a stone’s throw, and knelt down and prayed,
42saying, “Father, if you are willing, remove this cup from me. Nevertheless, not my will, but yours, be done.”
43And there appeared to him an angel from heaven, strengthening him.
And there's another important factor to keep in mind. Even when God says "no" to us He is there with us and comforts us with everything that we need. It's all about relationship!
36Then Jesus went with them to a place called Gethsemane, and he said to his disciples, “Sit here, while I go over there and pray.”
37And taking with him Peter and the two sons of Zebedee, he began to be sorrowful and troubled.
38Then he said to them, “My soul is very sorrowful, even to death; remain here, and watch with me.”
39And 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.”
40And he came to the disciples and found them sleeping. And he said to Peter, “So, could you not watch with me one hour?
41Watch and pray that you may not enter into temptation. The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak.”
42Again, for the second time, he went away and prayed, “My Father, if this cannot pass unless I drink it, your will be done.”
43And again he came and found them sleeping, for their eyes were heavy.
44So, leaving them again, he went away and prayed for the third time, saying the same words again.
45Then he came to the disciples and said to them, “Sleep and take your rest later on. See, the hour is at hand, and the Son of Man is betrayed into the hands of sinners.
46Rise, let us be going; see, my betrayer is at hand.”
Entire books have been written about this passage, so to try and do it justice in a few brief paragraphs hardly seems appropriate. But the goal of the blog is to provide a space where Bible reading is done each day and then just a few thoughts are shared that might give cause for further thought. So, the thing that struck me today as I read through this familiar yet exquisite passage is that Jesus goes back to the same prayer three times. In fact verse 44 even says He said the "same words again."
Years ago I had a friend who told me he never prayed for the same thing twice. He took his request to God one time and then let it drop. Since God already knew what he wanted there was no need to repeat it. Obviously, Jesus would not have agreed with him. I think there is an important concept here. It's not about how ardent or how insistent you are about your prayers to The Lord (although there is something to the idea of persistence found in the parables). But here in this story what we find is a clear indication of relationship. Jesus is in the most painful and critical time of His life and He spends that time pouring His heart out to the Father. He even knows the answer to His prayer before He asks! But He asks anyway. It's not about the outcome but about the relationship.
In our most painful moments we turn to family. Jesus turns to His Father and to the Disciples. The Disciples fail Him by their lack of presence but of course the Father is there to hear His prayer. The Father's answer is "no" but the prayer is heard nonetheless. We know this because the Father did send angels to minister to Jesus in His time of sorrow and pain.
Luke 22:41-43
41And he withdrew from them about a stone’s throw, and knelt down and prayed,
42saying, “Father, if you are willing, remove this cup from me. Nevertheless, not my will, but yours, be done.”
43And there appeared to him an angel from heaven, strengthening him.
And there's another important factor to keep in mind. Even when God says "no" to us He is there with us and comforts us with everything that we need. It's all about relationship!
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