Bible Reading: Luke 22: 40-43
Text: Luke 22:42″: “Father, if You are willing, take this cup from Me; nevertheless not My will, but Yours, be done.”
This prayer was spoken by Jesus Christ in the Garden of Gethsemane. Before the cross came the crushing. Before Calvary came surrender. Gethsemane means oil press — a place of crushing. Sometimes God allows us to enter our own Gethsemane so that self-will can be pressed out and divine will can flow in.You cannot say, “Your will be done,” until you first confront your own will. Jesus said, “If You are willing, take this cup from Me.”This shows: Surrender does not mean absence of struggle. Submission is not weakness. It is honest prayer before God. Even the Son of God felt the weight of the assignment.
The “cup” represented suffering, shame, and separation. Yet He chose obedience over comfort. Sometimes God’s will is not convenient — but it is always perfect.The most powerful word in that prayer is nevertheless. “Nevertheless” means: I feel the pain, but I choose obedience. I see another option, but I choose God’s plan.I have my preference, but I submit to His purpose. Destiny is shaped at the point of “nevertheless.”
What It Means to Say “Not My Will”: It means: Let go of control. Lay down pride. Release personal agenda. Trust God’s bigger picture. Proverbs 3:5 reminds us to trust in the Lord with all our heart and lean not on our own understanding. God sees what we cannot see.Because Jesus said, “Not My will,” salvation became possible.
Philippians 2:8–9 tells us He humbled Himself and became obedient unto death — and therefore God highly exalted Him. Surrender precedes exaltation. Obedience unlocks glory. When we say “Not my will”: Marriages are restored. Ministries are purified. Callings are fulfilled. Lives are transformed.
During this Lenten season, ask yourself: Where am I resisting God? What “cup” am I afraid to accept? What area of my life have I not surrendered? True Christianity is not just believing in Jesus — it is yielding to Him.
Conclusion: The cross was won in the garden. Victory does not start in public; it starts in private surrender. May we learn to pray daily: Father, not my ambition, not my preference, not my comfort — but Your will be done.
Prayer: Father, give us the grace to surrender completely.Where our will fights Yours, break us gently. Help us to trust You even when we do not understand. Let Your will be done in our lives, families, and ministries, in Jesus’ name, Amen.
The Rev’d Olomola Olalekan A. is the National Minister (Coordinator), Methodist Campus Fellowship (MCF) Methodist Church Nigeria. He can be reached via 08035501454; olomolekan@yahoo.com.
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