Day 1 | January 1
DAY 1 | January 1, 2024 | MORE SURRENDER
VERSE:
Matthew 26:39 “And going a little farther he fell on his face and prayed, saying, "My Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me; nevertheless, not as I will, but as you will." ESV
Gethsemane is a garden outside the city of Jerusalem located on a slope of the Mount of Olives. The name Gethsemane literally means “oil press.” It is a garden of ancient olive trees that stands there to this day. Jesus regularly went to Gethsemane with His disciples to pray. Gethsemane is a symbol of complete surrender to the will of God for our life.
To experience more of God, it requires complete surrender to Him. When our will is not in alignment with the Father’s will, conflict occurs. It’s often an internal battle and struggle to finally yield our will to His. He is faithful to reveal His will and make it known when we earnestly seek Him. In order to surrender to His will, we first must have a revelation and understanding of His will. Because He will not override our free will, we must willingly surrender and yield ourselves to Him.
Gethsemane was the scene of the distress, the agony, mental anguish and arrest of Jesus just prior to His crucifixion. Jesus’ prayer in the Garden of Gethsemane is recognized as a prayer of surrender and commitment to do the Father’s will. For Jesus, it meant that He was going to suffer and die for our sins on the cross.
Jesus’ prayer in Gethsemane was a commitment and consecration to yield to the Father’s will, which is an example for us. We, too, must come to the place of complete surrender and pray as Jesus did. In fact, it is an important part of our daily prayer. It is through the prayer of consecration that we fully embrace His will.
TODAY’S PRAYER: Heavenly Father, I come to my Gethsemane as I yield my will to yours, “not as I will, but as you will.” I ask that you help me to surrender more of my will to you, so that your will, plan and purposed which you’ve determined for my life would be done. I pray that you would have your way and that your will be done. We pray, “Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.” Matthew 6:10 ESV. Let your will be done in my life today, in Jesus Name.
“The greatness of a person’s power is in the measure of their surrender to God and His purpose.”