Going a little farther, he fell with his face to the ground and prayed, “My Father, if it is possible, may this cup be taken from me. Yet not as I will, but as you will.” – Matthew 25:39

The quote above is taken from the Gospel of Matthew, when Jesus is praying in the Garden of Gethsemane before his arrest. It is incredibly powerful.   So often, in church, we like to pretend that Jesus gladly accepted his fate. We like to turn Jesus into a superhero who bravely and gladly went to die a brutal death on the cross. We strip him of his humanity so that we can feel more comfortable when we look at the cross above our sanctuary altar.

But the quote from Matthew paints a very different story. Jesus is not a superhero. He is a human being who, with his face on the ground, is begging God to give him a different fate. In short, he doesn’t want to die.

And why would he? At this point in the gospel, Jesus is in his thirties. He has a successful, life-changing ministry. He is healing people who are blind or diseased. He has friends, men and women who he loves and who love him. Yes, he is bucking the establishment by upsetting the Pharisees, but he is at the top of his game. Why does his life have to end now?

So, Jesus reasonably begs God, “Take this cup from me.” Save me from this fate. Have you ever wanted to fall with your face on the ground and beg God, “Take this cup from me”? Most of us, at one time or another have pleaded, “God, don’t make me go through this.”

I have felt that way more than once. When my husband was on life support, and no one could guarantee that he would survive, I pleaded with God. I effectively said, “God, take this cup from me.” Save my husband. And He did. My husband lived. Of course, we went through the challenges of a long recovery during which, for a period of time, he couldn’t walk or talk. But the cup was taken from me.

However, there have been times in my life when God did not spare me. I begged, and God did not change my situation. In hindsight, I can see that God did not change my circumstances because He had a different plan for my life. But at the time, I felt very frustrated.

As I get older, I am become more and more sure that God has a specific plan for each and every one of us. And unfortunately, He sometimes does not take the cup of pain, sorrow or disappointment from us. Sometimes, we go through things that are very unfair. But I also know God wants us to fulfill his plan for our lives, and He is not going to allow an unfair circumstance to keep us from achieving our purpose in life.

The key is to look at the rest of Jesus’ plea to God. “My Father, if it is possible, may this cup be taken from me. Yet not as I will, but as you will.” Jesus accepted that God might not intercede on His behalf and spare him the fate of the crucifixion. Jesus knew that God, in His infinite wisdom, had a plan for his life. And in God’s hands, Jesus’ short 33-year life has been the most impactful life in all of human history.

Sometimes we are not spared. The cup is not taken from us. I don’t know why. What I do know is that if we accept God’s direction for our lives, He can do great things for us and through us.

It is important to remember that our acceptance should not be grudging. Rather, we need to work toward having such trust in God that if something bad occurs, we know that God can transform that bad thing into something very good. When we have that kind of faith, nothing can undermine our confidence that all will be well.

And that is the blessing of accepting God’s direction for our lives. When we accept His direction, we can know without a doubt that Jeremiah 29:11 is true: “For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.”

This week, meditate on Jeremiah 29:11. Work towards accepting God’s direction for your life. Trust God. He has a great plan for your life.

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