THURSDAY 15TH AUG., 2019

WORD FOCUS: ARE YOU IN GETHSEMANE?

TEXT: Matthew 26: 36-41 “Then cometh Jesus with them unto a place called Gethsemane, and saith unto the disciples, Sit ye here, while I go and pray yonder. And he took with him Peter and the
two sons of Zebedee, and began to be sorrowful and very heavy. Then saith he unto them, My soul is exceeding sorrowful, even unto death: tarry ye here, and watch with me…”

The word Gethsemane means ‘crushed olives.’ and from crushed olives comes oil that heals, illuminates, and nourishes. We all have our Gethsemane. To understand and embrace yours, look at the night Christ spent there before going to the cross: ‘Jesus went with his disciples to a place called Gethsemane, and he said to them…”My soul is overwhelmed with sorrow to the point of death. Stay here and keep watch [pray] with me.” Going a little farther, he fell with his face to the ground and prayed, “My Father, if it is possible, may this cup be taken from me. Yet not as I will, but as you will’ ‘ (vv.36-39). Notice:
(1) Gethsemane is where your prayers are not answered as you’d like them to be. God understands how you feel, and He has a better plan in mind.
(2) Gethsemane is where those closest to you cannot help. Like Christ’s disciples, they will pray with you for a while but then grow tired and give up. At this point, you pray alone. You go on alone.
(3) Gethsemane is where you feel the full weight of God’s will. Luke tells us that in Gethsemane Jesus was ‘in anguish’ and that ‘his sweat was like drops of blood falling to the ground’ (Luke 22:44). If you’re finding it easier to sing than to surrender, you’re in Gethsemane! Always remember that God’s thought towards us always is good, For He will bring you to an expected end.
BIBLE STUDY
JN 2; I CHRO 10 & 11; ZEC 1
Godhead Interdenominational Ministry