GOING FARTHER WITH GOD

He went a little farther,
and fell on  the ground,
and prayed.
Mark 14:35

Some Christians are satisfied to have only a surface relationship with Christ. Others desire to share the holiest moments with Him.

On the night Jesus spent in sacred prayer in the Garden of Gethsemane, the people responded to Him in various ways. There were those who were so indifferent to Jesus that they were unaware He was even in the garden. Then there was Judas, who knew where Jesus was but was too busy with his own schemes to join Him. The rest of the disciples joined Jesus in the garden, but they were distracted by sleep. Jesus told them the urgency of the hour, but they did not understand it. The inner circle of disciples – Peter, James, and John – initially prayed with Jesus, yet even they could not grasp the significance of the moment.

Ultimately, Jesus prayed alone. He went farther than His disciples, and He prayed longer. At the greatest moment of intercession in human history, there was no one willing to go with Jesus and watch with Him.

Throughout history, God has looked for those willing to yield everything to Him and His desire to redeem the world. At times, God has marveled that no one was willing to go with Him (Isaiah 59:16, 63:5). The prophets seemed to grasp more than the common people, for while society carried on as though nothing were wrong, the prophets agonized and wept over what they knew God was preparing to do.

God is calling you to go deeper in your prayer life with Him. Pray now and ask God to guide you into a deeper relationship with Him through prayer. Pray and thank God for opening your eyes to the power of prayer, and let God know you are ready and willing to be the person Jesus can take with Him into the most sacred moments.

Source “Experiencing God Day-By-Day; The Devotional and Journal”, by Henry T. Blackaby and Richard Blackaby ©1997. Entry March 24.