Gethsemane – Solitude

Read Mark 14:32-52

V 32-52 Jesus is troubled – His heart is heavy so he goes off to pray. What do you do when you are sad or upset? Bring your troubles to God first, and ask Him to bring you peace.

V35-36 Jesus calls out to God, in full faith that God is sovereign. Jesus doesn’t ask God to give him what he wants, but he asks what God wants for him. Ask God for His will to be done in you, and have faith that God will take care of you if you trust in Him.

V 37-42 When Jesus returns, He finds his disciples sleeping – 3 times! Verse 38 says, “Watch and pray so that you will not fall into temptation. The spirit is willing but the flesh is weak.” Be honest now; do you fall asleep during your quiet times with God? I remember last fall, my discipleship group met in the evening, and at every meeting, one of us would fall asleep. The evil one was trying to distract us from seeking God, the same way he interferes with your devotional time when you find yourself dozing off. But ask the Spirit to fill you with energy and passion for Christ so you don’t become weary throughout your walks with God.

V 43-52 So even in Jesus’ final hour, he was…alone. He had asked his disciples to stay awake and pray while he spent time with God, but when he returned, he found that they had fallen asleep. And then, one of his disciples betrayed him! Think of how Jesus felt during his last hour. Maybe he was alone in this world, but he was with the Father. In our lives, we often get caught up in doing things with others. Don’t take for granted the time you can spend with God alone, in solitude. Plan out times during the upcoming week when you can turn off your phone, computer, and all connections to the outside world in order to sanctify your time with God.