And he went a little farther, and fell on his face, and prayed, saying, O my Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me: nevertheless not as I will, but as thou wilt. — Matthew 26:39
It was probably the mid-90’s when I remember the phrase “What Would Jesus Do” gaining popularity. I remember teenagers having bracelets that would say WWJD as a reminder to learn from the example and live by the characteristics of our Savior. While the phrase has lost some popularity, there is a lingering truth behind the words.
Our Savior gave us an example unlike any other when He walked in this world. He taught us how to deal with others, how to minister, how to worship, and how to pray. While most people focus on the words of Matthew 6 as an example of prayer, I think there is something special we can learn from the words here in Matthew 26.
Jesus was talking directly to God the Father in these statements. He spoke a lot of words praying for others, specifically for those living in that day and for us living now. I’m amazed when I read the words here that it says He went a little farther, fell on His face, and then made a direct plea from His heart.
In these words, He didn’t hide behind His deity. He didn’t use the power that we know He possessed. He spoke and asked the Father for what His heart desired. In other words, He said, “Father, if it is possible, can you please do it this way?” Have you ever prayed that way?
In learning from Christ’s example, we can see that there’s nothing wrong with asking God for exactly what we want. The key is to realize that what we want may not be God’s will. Jesus finished His words by saying, while this is what I want, most of all I want your will to be done.
We can all learn from this example to tell God exactly what we want. He should know the exact desires of our hearts. But we must pray knowing that the most important thing, above all our own wants and desires, is that the will of God be done.