I've always likened Jesus and his disciples' going to the Garden of Gethsemane to a parent having to take the kids along and telling them to "stay here and be good while I take care of important business."
HE was going there to pray to HIS Father and prepare HIMSELF for what was to come. They had no- where else to go and needed to just patiently wait.
But today when I "randomly" opened my Bible and read the account in Luke 22 it hit me:
He brought them there for the exact same reason He Himself had come:
To pray and be strengthened for the ordeal which was about to begin.
At least twice He tells his disciples to pray, lest they enter into temptation---that's what HE was doing!
He couldn't do their praying for them. Strengthening their connection with God was something they each had to do personally.
But there was a big difference in their praying. Jesus prayed more earnestly as he contemplated the horrors to come. The disciples fell asleep.
Are the two different outcomes surprising then? That Jesus endured the cross while the disciples fled in the face of fear?
This strikes me in a very personal way. My Lord and Savior prayed exactly as I should pray in the face of trials. I used to see His prayer in the garden as almost supernatural. Now I see.
It was a prayer of trust.
Thank you Lord, for once again opening my eyes to a richer, deeper understanding of you.You really were the Son of Man.
