Lenten Devotion: It’s Ok to Struggle as God’s Child (Luke 22:39-53)
Day 36 (Holy Week) – 15 Apr 2025
“Father, if you are willing, remove this cup from me. Nevertheless, not my will, but yours, be done.” Luke 22:42
Whenever I speak to friends about Christianity, one assumption they make is that Christians have life all figured out, and that we never struggle with following God’s will. Apparently, our lives run like a well-oiled machine, continuing its course without any resistance.
Of course, we know that this is not the case. In reality, we constantly struggle with what God wants us to do, or where he wants us to go. And even when we obediently follow where God is directing us, we sometimes find ourselves in even more difficult circumstances, and wonder why God allowed for this to happen.
Fortunately, we can be assured knowing that Jesus too struggled in carrying out God’s will.
Verses 41 to 44 is probably one of the poignant instances where we see Jesus’ humanity expressed through his raw emotions displayed in his prayer. Up until then, our image of Jesus was someone who was upright, sure of himself, and fully committed to fulfilling God’s will. Basically, he was the ‘perfect Christian’!
But here, we see a different side of Jesus. He struggled with the weight of his calling, and even though God sent an angel to strengthen him, he became more agonised in prayer. It came to the point where he was sweating “great drops of blood”. Jesus was undeniably deeply anguished with what God wanted him to do.
Friends, obeying God’s will is never easy. More often than not, we struggle with it and even question God’s leading. God understands what we are going through. It is during these times where we realise that we can never rely on our own strength to carry out the will of God. And it is during these times where the beauty of God’s love for us is shown – He allows us to be real and raw in confessing our struggles to Him.
Today, spend a moment in prayer. Be real and honest in expressing your struggles to him… and receive his grace, help and affirmation at your point of need.
Marcus Sia🙏✝️