And He was withdrawn from them about a stone’s throw, and He knelt down and prayed, saying, “Father, if it is Your will, take this cup away from Me; nevertheless not My will, but Yours, be done.” Luke22:41-42
During Easter, this Bible verse stood out to me because Jesus said to His Father, “If it is Your will,” other translations of the Bible say, “If You are willing.” God was not willing to take the cup of suffering from His beloved Son, Jesus, who had to stagger down the road to Calvary beaten and bloody. He was pierced on that cross for our sins. While meditating on this, I realized that there were some cups of suffering that we may not have taken away from us because it is not God’s will. We may have to go through loss of loved ones, illnesses, and injury because it is a part of God’s purpose for us. We just have to trust Him with our pain. But can He trust us with our pain? Will we give up on Him when things are not going our way and turn our back on Him and move towards the world for solutions? Or, will we wait patiently for Him, keeping our hope in Him knowing that He will eventually work all things for good for those who love Him and are called to His purpose? (See Romans 8:28).
I am realizing more and more that my ways are not the Lord’s ways. He is able, but just because He can doesn’t mean He will and He has His reasons, which we may never know. We may not like the situation we are in, and we may try to get out of it in our own strength, but we may be frustrating ourselves and getting nowhere, because God is using that situation to refine us and make us more like Him. He knows the future He has for us, and that bad situation may very well be what He is using to prepare us for what He has for us, but we are too busy fighting Him. Joseph may have felt forgotten in prison, but God had His eye on Him all the time and as He remained faithful in an unjust position, God was putting everything in place for Him to become second in command in Egypt, where he would later save his family and many other people during a long famine that affected several nations. In retrospect, he understood this well.
Joseph said to them, “Do not be afraid, for am I in the place of God? But as for you, you meant evil against me; but God meant it for good, in order to bring it about as it is this day, to save many people alive. Now therefore, do not be afraid; I will provide for you and your little ones.” And he comforted them and spoke kindly to them. Genesis 50:19-21
It is human nature to want to get out of seemingly bad circumstances. However, God may not be willing to get out us of this situation because it is a part of His plan. He has a bigger vision than we do. Joseph wanted to get out of prison quickly, but God had a specific timing for everything to be lined up just the way He wanted it to be before He allowed Him to get out. We may need a different perspective when we feel like we are trapped in a situation. First, we need to make sure we are in God’s will and recognize that we might be where God wants us to be even though we may not like it. Then, we must never forget that God is with us through all that we are going through, so we just need to trust and obey Him no matter what things look like.
When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; And through the rivers, they shall not overflow you. When you walk through the fire, you shall not be burned, nor shall the flame scorch you. Isaiah 43:2
Notice that passing through the waters, rivers and fire are not “if” but “when” that means we will pass through situations that seem to be against us, but we need to know that God is with us. Of course, we never want to be in a negative position. But we need to recognize that once we are obeying God and walking in His way, we will suffer. However, He has a plan and will not leave us alone. God, the Master Gardener, may also create some storm like circumstances to prune us so that we can be more fruitful. Pruning hurts, but it is necessary. And in His hands is the best place to be even though we may be hurting. Plus, we may have to go through the hurt to be healed. There is purpose to the pain. So let us rest in Christ and let Him have His way with us.
“I am the true vine, and My Father is the vinedresser. Every branch in Me that does not bear fruit He takes away; and every branch that bears fruit He prunes, that it may bear more fruit. You are already clean because of the word which I have spoken to you. Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in Me. John 15:1-4
Let us stay in Christ and recognize that the Father may be pruning us in the bad circumstances we may be in. We may be praying for God to get us out of the problem, but He does not seem to be listening, and He doesn’t seem to be willing. That is because He has a purpose. Let us ask Him if He is willing to take this cup from us, and if He is not, let us pray that He gives us the strength to drink this cup of suffering.
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