But he who endures to the end shall be saved. - Mathew 24:13 (NKJV)

Many times we experience circumstances that almost break us and maybe some that do break us eventually. There's something about pain that we cannot understand as humans. When something bad happens and if it causes us any kind of pain, there's usually little to do that might help in easing our pain. 

I have learned that our biggest victories resurrect from times of pain and difficulty. It reminds me of our savior. In His final moments when He led His disciples to the garden, just to pray one more time before He could be crucified. To spend one last moment with His Father, before He'd be left for dead. It must have been the most heart breaking moment, for a son to be separated from His Father. To pay for sins that He never committed. 

Then He said to them, "My soul is exceedingly sorrowful, even to death. Stay here and watch with Me."

39 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."

40 Then He came to the disciples and found them sleeping, and said to Peter, "What! Could you not watch with Me one hour? - Mathew 26:38-40 (NKJV)

Jesus usually took a few of His disciples to the big events. Peter was always among the few. The one time when he should have been there, he wasn't when he denied Christ three times. And in this scenario, it seems Jesus needed His disciples to pray with Him and yet, they slept. 

Notice what the bible says. Jesus was exceedingly sorrowful. To be sorrowful is one thing. To be exceedingly sorrowful is another. He was in a great amount of pain. Other translations reveal how painful this situation was to Jesus. He was sorrowful to death! 

I want to use different Bible translations so that we see something that happened to our savior. Just to prove that He was man as He was God. At this particular point, His humanness affected Him more than the godly aspect of Him. 

After walking a little farther away from them, Jesus fell to the ground and prayed, "My Father, if it is possible, do not give me this cup[] of suffering. But do what you want, not what I want." - Mathew 26:39 (NCV)

The New Century Version is clearer than the New King James Version. The Bible tells us Jesus did not want to go on ahead with it. Have you ever wondered why? Why now? Jesus talked about His death so much that on one instance, Peter even rebuked the master. Peter right? Why could Jesus not do it now? What events happened before arriving at this moment? 

Jesus is like us. Or are we like Jesus? There's times when we know certain things need to happen and in the final moments, the reality dawns on us so much that going through with it becomes impossible. If Jesus had second thoughts, you might want to pat yourself on your shoulder. You are not the only one that goes through pain. Jesus did too. He was in agony. But he went on ahead with it. 

The difference between Jesus and us is how submissive He is. He didn't want to suffer as we see and yet, He asked for the will of God to be done. Think about it. How can God's will bring this amount of pain on His own child? Isn't it supposed to be wonderful and lovely and joyous? No! God's will requires our being crushed before anything good can be produced from out of us. 

I know what you thinking. It's the worst feeling! I agree. The will of God has some bits of suffering. The best thing that God wants for all of us is to be in His will and to do what He wills for our lives. Our judgment can be a little clouded sometimes and a little bit obscured. God leads us out of obscurity when we allow His will to be done in our lives, however painful. 

But he gave up his place with God and made himself nothing.
He was born as a man
and became like a servant.
8 And when he was living as a man,
he humbled himself and was fully obedient to God,
even when that caused his death—death on a cross.
9 So God raised him to the highest place.
God made his name greater than every other name - Philippians 2:7-9 (NCV)

When we go through difficult times, it's usually hard to see through the walls of our pain and tears. The hardest times to ever see a breakthrough is when you are facing a hard time. 

There's no telling what God will do with your life, if only you let Him. The glory of His goodness that shines upon us as we obey Him exceeds the amount of suffering we might have had to endure. 

Now, Jesus sits at the right hand of God with a name higher than any name that was ever given. Just because He obeyed God and submitted to His will. How amazing is that!

Wonderful Father. Thank you. You are awesome. You are amazing. You are lovely! May you help us to endure. May you help us to live in your will. This we ask, in the mighty name of Jesus Christ. we pray. Amen. 

PS: I write about Faith in the next chapter. It's going to be exciting! I cannot wait.