Re:Verse reading–Matthew 26:36-46 (day one)
“My soul is deeply grieved, to the point of death”–v 38.
Know anyone who suffers from lupus? An inflammatory disease characterized by joint pain and fatigue, and it takes its name from the Greek word for pain (lupe)
It is what Jesus described on the night before his death. (Peri lupe–“surrounded by pain”) A wave of sorrow had crashed over Him. Emotional. Physical. Spiritual. It overwhelmed Him.
Ever been there? While I think we should be careful comparing our sorrows to His, I am glad that the Lord has sympathy for this very human experience.
What did He do? In the midst of such sorrow, with confidence in God, Jesus knelt to pray. He fought His way up and through the wave of sorrow and pain to the place where He could breathe again–the air of God’s truth. In pain, He found His footing in prayer.
Lord, help us do the same.