Gospel Reflections #461: Only the God we believe in can strengthen our hearts!

Matthew 26:39 "He went a little further, fell on his face and prayed, saying. 'Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me. But not as I wish, but as Thy will be done."

Jesus' prayer in Gethsemane was the ultimate prayer for the fear of eternal isolation from His heavenly Father, for as a human being Jesus had to suffer the consequences of people's sins.

Jesus as a man did not overcome that fear alone through prayer.

A great angel came to Jesus' side.

This angel (Luke 22:43) did not come to remove the cup from Jesus' hand, but to strengthen him to drink it, with the assurance of his Heavenly Father's love.

The angel spoke of the souls that would be saved as a result of Christ's Passion.

The angel assured Jesus that "Heavenly Father is greater and more powerful than Satan," that "the result of Christ's death is the complete defeat of Satan," and that "the kingdoms of the world will be given to the saints of the Most High God.

Jesus' suffering did not cease, but his despondency and discouragement ceased, and although the storm never abated, Jesus was given the strength to endure its intensity.

We, too, may pray in times of distress when we feel as if God is not with us, but God never leaves us. God never leaves us, and He works to encourage us, heal us, and encourage us.

Through prayer we go to God, we cry into His bosom, we are held in His arms and healed, and we don't ask Him to change the situation, we ask Him to empower us to accept the situation and stay there.

We can run to Him again and again.

We can cry as often as we want.

Only the God we believe in can strengthen our hearts!

AUTHOR'S BIO: This Gospel Reflections page is written by Masae San, who resides in Hiroshima, Japan. Masae is a dedicated student of the Bible with a deep passion for the Gospel of Jesus Christ. She shares her daily reflections on Gospel perspectives to reach out to others and spread the message of God's true love through a Christ-centered approach. We are sharing her insights here so that you, too, can experience the joy that comes from knowing and understanding the true Gospel and the love of God through Jesus Christ.