DELIVERED THROUGH HUMBLE SUBMISSION

Can I pray for you in any way?

Send any prayer requests to TheChristianWalkPrayers@gmail.com.

In Christ, Mark

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The scriptures. May God bless the reading of His holy word.

During the days of Jesus’ life on earth, He offered up prayers and petitions with fervent cries and tears to the One who could save Him from death, and He was heard because of His reverent submission.

Hebrews 5:7

This ends this reading from God's holy word. Thanks be to God.

Jesus walked the earth like any other man, human in every sense. He experienced everything that we possibly might as we go through this thing called life.

Hardship. Check.

Temptation. Check.

Suffering. Check.

Persecution. Check.

Grief. Check.

Heartbreak. Check.

Death. Check.

He went through the whole gamut and this is why He can so easily empathize with us as we go through life ourselves. As we continue our study of Hebrews in chapter 5, we are reminded of this. Look again at these words here:

During the days of Jesus’ life on earth, He offered up prayers and petitions with fervent cries and tears to the One who could save Him from death, and He was heard because of His reverent submission. Hebrews 5:7

Jesus not only ended up in a place where He could sympathize with Christians who are going through life themselves today. He also showed us how we should live and handle life’s challenges along the way.

Like prayer, for example. As we read the Gospels and the life Jesus lived, we see over and over and over again how He went to the Lord in prayer and petition. These prayers were heartfelt, delivered fervently to His Father God, the One He trusted so much because He knew of His power to do all things, including resurrection from the dead.

Sometimes, the prayers were brought forth in tears as He experienced anguish and sorrow. We know of at least two instances in the scriptures where our Savior wept.

First, after He went to Bethany following the death of His good friend, Lazarus:

On his arrival, Jesus found that Lazarus had already been in the tomb for four days. Now Bethany was less than two miles from Jerusalem, and many Jews had come to Martha and Mary to comfort them in the loss of their brother. When Martha heard that Jesus was coming, she went out to meet Him, but Mary stayed at home.

“Lord,” Martha said to Jesus, “if you had been here, my brother would not have died. But I know that even now God will give you whatever you ask.”

Jesus said to her, “Your brother will rise again.”

Martha answered, “I know he will rise again in the resurrection at the last day.”

Jesus said to her, “I am the Resurrection and the Life. The one who believes in Me will live, even though they die; and whoever lives by believing in Me will never die. Do you believe this?”

“Yes, Lord,” she replied, “I believe that you are the Messiah, the Son of God, who is to come into the world.”

After she had said this, she went back and called her sister Mary aside. “The Teacher is here,” she said, “and is asking for you.” When Mary heard this, she got up quickly and went to Him. Now Jesus had not yet entered the village, but was still at the place where Martha had met Him. When the Jews who had been with Mary in the house, comforting her, noticed how quickly she got up and went out, they followed her, supposing she was going to the tomb to mourn there.

When Mary reached the place where Jesus was and saw Him, she fell at His feet and said, “Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died.”

When Jesus saw her weeping, and the Jews who had come along with her also weeping, He was deeply moved in spirit and troubled. “Where have you laid him?” He asked.

“Come and see, Lord,” they replied.

Jesus wept.

Then the Jews said, “See how He loved him!”

John 11:17-36

And then there was this account where Jesus was stricken with sorrow as He looked upon the holy city of Jerusalem as he approached for his final week of life.

As He approached Jerusalem and saw the city, He wept over it and said, “If you, even you, had only known on this day what would bring you peace—but now it is hidden from your eyes. The days will come upon you when your enemies will build an embankment against you and encircle you and hem you in on every side. They will dash you to the ground, you and the children within your walls. They will not leave one stone on another, because you did not recognize the time of God’s coming to you.” Luke 19:41-44

Jesus prayed and mourned. He placed His fullest trust in the God through which He knew all things were possible and submitted to Him completely, knowing that He could save Him from death. And because of His faithfulness, He was not only heard because of His humble obedience to His Father’s will but He was indeed saved, resurrected in power after completing the first part of the mission as He served as the perfect Lamb of God who took away the sin of the world (John 1:29).

Friends, Jesus passionately prayed over all His disciples. He prayed over everyone, even His enemies. Through the course of His life, He never stopped placing His hope in His Father while staying focused on the salvation mission at hand.

We need to follow His lead each and every day.

For just as God rescued His Son from the grave, ushering Him into eternal life, so too will He do so for us when this worldly life is over as the Word of God assures us that all who call on the blessed name of Jesus will be saved (Romans 10:13). Until that time, let us humbly submit to God as we wait for His deliverance.

Amen.

In Christ,

Mark

PS: Feel free to leave a comment and please share this with anyone you feel might be blessed by it. Send any prayer requests to TheChristianWalkPrayers@gmail.com.