Jesus takes all the disciples to the garden, but only a few are closer to Him when He is praying in distress.

Not every Christian gets to see God’s distress. It’s a burden not everyone bears. God is angry every day because God is sorrowful every day. Sin steals, kills, and destroys. And the love of sin, self, and the world steals, kills, and destroys those God loves. It’s a hard thing to watch.

Jesus’ distress in this moment is caused by the sin of the world, literally the sin of everyone caused His distress.

Jesus had lived submitted to the Father. He lived in perfect oneness with God. This was Jesus’ first real experience of a conflict of wills between flesh and spirit.

Jesus prays like this. He acknowledges God’s relationship to Him, “Father.” He declares truth about what He knows about His Father. “All things are possible for you.” He asks for what He wants, what His flesh wants to happen in this situation. “Remove this cup.” He then submits Himself to the Father’s will. He knew He was sent to die. He has been saying it again and again. He knows. He asks, but He knows. We don’t choose suffering. Jesus didn’t. But we ultimately want the Father’s will, and we willingly submit ourselves to it as Jesus did.

We’re told Jesus goes to the cross for the joy set before Him. I think that was the Father’s pleasure, the Father’s approval, obeying what the Father asked Him to do.

If we don’t live submitted to the Father’s will, then self will win. We don’t have it in ourselves to make the right choices. All the disciples flee.

Make the choice today to choose the Father’s heart, to live for Him, to submit to whatever His plan is. Then He can act on your behalf and give you the power to live out that choice.

When we live fully and freely in the Father’s will, we can live in joy because we’re delighting in choosing His way.