Matthew 26:39, 42-44 (NKJV) He went a little farther and fell on His face, and prayed, saying, “O My Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from Me; nevertheless, not as I will, but as You will.”…. Again, a second time, He went away and prayed, saying, “O My Father, if this cup cannot pass away from Me unless I drink it, Your will be done.” And He came and found them asleep again, for their eyes were heavy. So He left them, went away again, and prayed the third time, saying the same words.
John 6:38 (NKJV) For I have come down from heaven not to do my will but to do the will of Him who sent me.
In the Garden of Gethsemane, Jesus prayed, “Not as I will, but as You will” three times. He set an example of how we should pray to be in God’s will and have His leading in every major decision of our life. When Jesus prayed, He did not pray to receive anything from the Father, but to become the sin sacrifice for the world. Jesus was praying about the will of God for His life when He said, “Nevertheless not my will, but as You will”.
A prayer of consecration seeks God’s will for our lives. We pray “if it is your will” because we do not know God’s will. Consecration can be a struggle for many Christians because it deals with the Lordship of Christ in our lives.
Being 100% man and 100% God, Jesus’ soul was overwhelmed by the sorrow of what He had to endure. The pain was so great that He shed blood. Yet Jesus was submissive, praying to the Father regarding His will, even when it involved paying a price. Jesus went into the Garden of Gethsemane with two wills but came out with only one—the Father’s will. It can be challenging for our flesh to live out a consecrated life because we need to bring our flesh into submission to the Spirit. It is choosing to be yoked with God and allowing Him to be the stronger partner in the calling of our lives. We will come to a point where we will not do what we like but what is right in God’s eyes and plan. It is not impossible, as God has made it possible through His Spirit living in us.
In the Garden of Gethsemane, we see that Jesus’ life was the culmination of a life of consecration. Jesus lived a consecrated life every day of His ministry. Likewise, we should submit to God when the answer to the prayer of consecration is not what we want or like. In fact, dying to our flesh by not doing what we want, but submitting to His plan for us, is a form of protection for us.
Reflection: How does Jesus’ example challenge and encourage you to submit to God’s will when your flesh wants to resist? What will of yours is He inviting you to surrender to Him right now?
Sermon Series: Walk into the future with a word given by God
不是我的意思，而是照祢的意思行
马太福音 26:39,42-44 他就稍往前走，俯伏在地，祷告说：“我父啊！倘若可行，求你叫这杯离开我！然而，不要照我的意思，只要照你的意思。”… 第二次又去祷告说：“我父啊！这杯若不能离开我，必要我喝，就愿你的意旨成全！” 又来，见他们睡着了，因为他们的眼睛困倦。 耶稣又离开他们去了。第三次祷告，说的话还是与先前一样。
约翰福音 6:38 因为我从天上降下来，不是要按自己的意思行，乃是要按那差我来者的意思行。
在客西马尼园，耶稣三次祷告说：“不要照我的意思，只要照祢的意思。”祂为我们树立了一个榜样，教导我们在生命中每一个重大的决定上，都要寻求活在神的旨意中，并跟随祂的引导。当耶稣祷告时，祂并不是为了从父那里得着什么，而是在寻求成为世人的赎罪祭。祂所祷告的是神在祂生命中的旨意，因此祂说：“然而，不要照我的意思，只要照祢的意思。”
分别为圣的祷告是寻求神在我们生命中的旨意。我们祷告“若是祢的旨意”，是因为我们并不知道神完全的计划。对许多基督徒而言，过分别为圣的生活并不容易，因为这涉及基督是否真正拥有我们生命的主权。
耶稣既是百分之百的人，也是百分之百的神，祂的灵魂因即将面对的苦难而极其忧伤，甚至痛苦到流出血来。然而，即使这意味着要付上极大的代价，耶稣仍然顺服父的旨意，并在祷告中将自己交托给父。耶稣进入客西马尼园时，似乎面对两个意志的挣扎，但走出来时，祂只持守一个意志——父的旨意。对于我们而言，活出分别为圣的生命也可能是一场挣扎，因为我们需要使自己的肉体降服于圣灵。这意味着选择与神同负一轭，并允许祂成为我们生命呼召中更强大的伙伴。最终，我们会来到一个地步，不再只是做自己喜欢的事，而是选择做在神眼中正确、并符合祂计划的事。这并非不可能，因为神已经借着住在我们里面的圣灵，使这一切成为可能。
在客西马尼园中，我们看见耶稣的生命是一个完全奉献、分别为圣生命的最高体现。事实上，在祂整个事奉过程中，耶稣每天都活在对父旨意的顺服中。同样，当我们奉献自己的祷告得到的答案并不是我们所期待的，我们仍然需要学习顺服神。
事实上，向自己的肉体死，不再随从自己的意愿，而是降服于神为我们预备的计划，是神对我们的保护。祂的旨意总是带领我们进入祂更美好的道路。
默想：耶稣的榜样如何挑战并鼓励你，当你的肉体想要抗拒时，仍然选择降服于神的旨意？此刻，神正在邀请你将生命中哪一个属于自己的意愿交托给祂？
讲章系列：带着神所赐的话语迈向未来