Day 4 – Gardens: Spiritual growth through Gethsemane

“He went on a little farther and bowed with his face to the ground, praying, “My Father! If it is possible, let this cup of suffering be taken away from me. Yet I want your will to be done, not mine.” Matthew 26:39

The Garden of Gethsemane is a small grove consisting of eight ancient olive trees located at the foot of the Mount of Olives just outside the Old City of Jerusalem and its name derives from the Aramaic word “gat semãné” meaning Olive Press.

Where sin entered the Garden of Eden separating us from God, Jesus returned to a garden where the first drops of His blood started the redemption process to reconcile us with God. What a beautiful example our Saviour set for us in Gethsemane. He took everything to God in prayer and in this garden, Jesus chose to pour out His anguished heart to His Father. He knew of the suffering awaiting Him and yet He chose to be obedient to the will of God.

Each one of us standing in ministry or discipling others understands that anguish and suffering are a reality and instead of trying to get out of it, Jesus teaches us through His actions to enter into the Garden with God and pray, seeking the will of our Father. It’s in these moments of anguish when we come to our Father in intimate prayer that we understand His will and receive the strength to see through what we are facing and to grow stronger in the olive we were grafted into.

Prayer: Father, when I know that the suffering I’ve been through is nothing compared to what Jesus endured. But I also know, that in my moments of anguish and suffering, I can come to this garden with intimate prayer to seek Your will. In this garden, I lay down my will and submit to Yours, my Father. In the words of Jesus, I pray, “not my will, but Yours.” Amen.