Go To The Secret Place
Saturday, October 3
Luke 22:41-43 (NKJV)
“And He was withdrawn from them about a stone’s throw, and He knelt down and prayed, saying, “Father, if it is Your will, take this cup away from Me; nevertheless not My will, but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.” Then an angel appeared to Him from heaven, strengthening Him.”
Devoción
It was the Feast of Unleavened Bread, when the Passover must be killed. With fervent desire, Jesus wanted to eat this last Passover meal with His disciples before He endured suffering. The Son of God knew what was coming and the heavy price He was about to pay for the sins of mankind.
The prophet Isaiah called Him a “Man of sorrows” and described His next few hours in this manner: “He was oppressed and He was afflicted, yet He opened not His mouth; He was led as a lamb to the slaughter ... He was taken from prison and from judgment ... For He was cut off from the land of the living; for the transgressions of My people He was stricken ... Yet it pleased the Lord to bruise Him; He has put Him to grief.” (Isaiah 53:7, 8, 10)
Representing the ceremonial scapegoat for atonement, how did the Son of Man bear the ultimate suffering, the bruising because of mankind’s iniquities, and the wounding of our transgressions, once and for all? First, Jesus knew that those things which were written must still be accomplished in Him, but ... these things also have an end. (Luke 22:37) His suffering was temporary. Secondly, even though He and the Father are One, Jesus frequently withdrew Himself from the crowds to pray. He developed a habit of prayer. And so, “as was accustomed,” Jesus went to the Mount of Olives one last time to pray.
A short distance away from His disciples, Jesus knelt down to pray alone. He entered His “secret place” for a personal conversation with the Heavenly Father. He asked if this cup (this preordained destiny) would be removed from Him, but nevertheless, “not My will, but Yours be done.” Could it be that in His conversation with the Father, He was reminded of the promise in the rest of Isaiah’s prophecy? (Read Isaiah 53:10–12)
In this time of prayer, Jesus found focus (surrender to God’s will), strength, and even joy.
We know this because His perspective of the situation had changed, as Hebrews 12:2 tells us: “who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.”
Heaven responded to Jesus’ prayer with an angel sent to strengthen Him. Now strengthened and committed to continue on with God’s will, being in agony, He persevered, praying more earnestly, until His sweat became like great drops of blood, each drop filled with God’s love and life, falling to the ground as seeds being planted for future generations.
Prayer gave Him the strength to fulfill God’s purpose for His life.
Oración de hoy
Querido Padre Celestial,
“For this cause, everyone who is godly shall pray to You in a time when You may be found; surely, in the flood of great waters, they shall not come near him. You are my hiding place; You shall preserve me from trouble; You shall surround me with songs of deliverance. Selah.” (Psalm 32:6–7) In the Name of Jesus, I pray. Amen.
Aplíquelo hoy mismo
By the example we learned from Christ ‘to bear the unbearable’ through perseverance in prayer, the Word exhorts us in Hebrews 12:1–4: “Let us lay aside every weight and the sin which so easily ensnares us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith ... For consider Him who endured such hostility from sinners against Himself, lest you become weary and discouraged in your souls. You have not resisted to bloodshed, striving against sin.” Find your secret place in prayer today.
Recursos
- God sees every prayer whispered in secret. Watch this short clip, “God Will Honor What You Do in Secret,” and be encouraged to keep praying.
- Use this 15-Minute Secret Place Routine:
- 2 minutes — Be still
- 5 minutes — Read Scripture
- 5 minutes — Pray and surrender
- 2 minutes — Sit quietly and listen