SUSTAINED BY PRAYER. By Pastor Fernando.

Scripture:
He went down a little farther and fell face down on the ground. He prayed that, if it were possible, the awful hour awaiting him might pass him by. “Abba, Father, ” he said, “everything id possible for you. Please tale this cup of suffering away from me. Yet, i want your will , not mine.” Mark 14:35-36

Observation:
Jesus knew his calling to go through the cross in order to fulfill God’s plan for humanity. No other human being could do this! That’s why Jesus took human form in order to get it done. However, doing the will of the Father wasn’t easy. Horror and distress filled his heart to the point of exhaustion. That’s why Jesus goes to seek God and be sustained in prayer. In the realm of prayer Jesus found focus, strength, and determination. He found a place where surrendering to the will of God was everything. And during his most difficult moments, jesus is always found talking to God, surrounded and sustained by prayer.

Application:
When hard times come we need to seek the presence of God like never before. In the realm of prayer we can find sustain that neither hard work, nor entertainment, nor hobbies bring. It’s in prayer that we find focus to deal with the storms we face in a daily basis. The key is to rely in God through meaningful and humble prayer. All of us walking with Christ will face tough times. We will be distressed, scared, and sometimes unwilling to follow God’s will. That’s why we need the strength that genuine prayer provides. Also as a minister, I signed up consciously to a lifestyle of constant self-sacrifice where people will criticize, mock, undermine, attack, and sometimes, hurt. Currently I’m facing a series of misunderstandings with someone I consider a dear friend. The more I try to make things right, the more I discover that my friend is hurt and for some reason he cannot embrace restoration. This kind of incidents drain me emotionally. I’m also dealing with a younger brother in the faith that has been receptive to a form of heresy. This false teaching is coming from another gentleman that seems to not have the fruit of the Spirit in his life. I need to confront clearly both the younger man that seems so gullible and the other man that seems so confused. In all this, I need to do this sustained by prayer.

Prayer:
Dear heavenly Father, I have a real need to be sustained in prayer. I don’t want to deal with all these situations that come with the territory, but not my will, but your will be done in my life. Please give me wisdom and discernment to make confident decisions. Give me grace to respond to these situations with grace and with conviction. Please sustain me during this season as I seek for your strength in prayer. I love you Lord and I depend on you. Amen!