The Hardest and Best Thing

By Allen White


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.” Matthew 26:39


Submitting to God’s will is often the hardest and best thing to do. It’s the hardest thing because we lose the sense of control that we think we have. It’s the best thing because God leads us to things that bring Him glory. It’s not necessarily the easy path, but it is certainly the right path.


The things of God are supernatural. If you take that word apart, it’s beyond-natural. Natural things are easy. Natural things are within our ability and our control. If God only lead us into easy things, we wouldn’t need Him.


But, there is life beyond this life. I’m not just referring to our home in Heaven. There is a supernatural life that God wants every believer to enter into. I’m not talking about the crazy-spooky stuff we see on Christian television. The life God has for us is rich and full and empowered by His Spirit.


We need God’s power, not to make our lives easier, but to accomplish the things God has planned for us. God’s power is not merely to make our problems disappear. God’s power is the strength we find in our weakness (2 Corinthians 12:9-10).


Jesus faced a weak, very human moment in the garden. His was not a mere human death. His death was a sacrifice for the sins of the world. Death would be disempowered by resurrection. That wasn’t the issue.


Sin is completely contrary to God’s nature. It’s not a matter of God just disliking sin. Sin is offensive to who God is. Jesus, who never sinned (Hebrews 4:15), was now required to bear the sins of every person, past and future, and pay the price on the cross. Sometimes our own sin is too much to bear. Could you imagine taking on the sins of everyone?


Jesus wasn’t questioning the Father as much as He was being honest about what He was experiencing. In that exchange, He came to accept God’s will. As God, Jesus had accepted His mission by coming to earth in the first place. As a person, made just like us, He came to fully accept what God called Him to.


What is difficult for you to accept in your life? Have you taken this to God? Have you investigated God’s Word? There are things that we shouldn’t put up with. But, there are also difficult things that we must accept. Accepting God’s will is the key to a joyful life.


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