WHAT TO DO WHEN FACED WITH A CRISIS
Text: Mark 14:32 – 42
Have you ever been faced with a crisis? Most of us have, and if you haven’t, chances are that you will sooner or later. Maybe it was the death of a loved one, or a struggle with a terminal illness. Maybe it was the loss of a job or trouble with a family member. Maybe it was a crucial decision that you needed to make. How did you deal with it? What is the first thing that you did? The title of today’s message is “What to Do When Faced with a Crisis,” and my prayer is that the next time you are faced with a crisis, you will follow Christ’s example and do what He did.
Jesus was facing the ultimate crisis. In the days leading up to the prayer in Gethsemane, Jesus had been greeted as the Messiah as He rode into Jerusalem on the back of a donkey. He had caused quite a stir and made some enemies as He cleared the temple of people selling merchandise. He had several stressful run-ins with the religious leaders, and publicly grieved over the condition of Jerusalem. He had told His disciples several times that He was about to die.
Just before this scene in Gethsemane, Jesus had celebrated the Passover with His disciples, and had given a new meaning to the dinner, telling His disciples once again that He was about to die. He told them that one of them was about to betray Him, and after giving him a chance to change his mind, excused Judas to go and do what he had agreed to do. The remaining disciples got into an argument about which of them would be the greatest, and Jesus teaches them a lesson on humility and service by washing their feet. After this, Jesus takes His disciples out of Jerusalem to a garden called Gethsemane, a place that Jesus had gone many times before to pray.
As they arrived at Gethsemane, Jesus sadly tells His disciples that they would all desert Him in just a few hours. All of them state that they would never do such a thing, and Peter goes as far as to say that he would die before deserting the Lord. Jesus tells Peter that not only would he desert Him, but that he would also deny knowing Him three times before the night was over.
He tells the disciples to stay in the garden as He went further in to pray. He took Peter, James, and John with Him. These three were His inner circle, and were His closest friends. He tells them to watch and pray while He goes even further into the garden.
As we read the accounts of Jesus’ prayer in Gethsemane, we are reminded of His humanity. Verses 33 and 34 say, “And he taketh with him Peter and James and John, and began to be sore amazed, and to be very heavy; And saith unto them, My soul is exceeding sorrowful unto death: tarry ye here, and watch.” Even though He was completely God, He was also completely man as well. The normal position for prayer in Jesus’ day was to stand with your hands outstretched to Heaven, but Jesus falls on the ground, stricken with stress, loneliness, and fear.
Can you imagine the stress that He must have felt? He knew that He was about to die, and He knew that it would be a horrible death. His mission was to die for the sins of all mankind, and Jesus knew that He was our only hope. How would you feel if you were given the task of jumping over the Grand Canyon carrying someone on your back, and the fate of the entire world depended upon if you were successful? Luke tells us that He was under so much stress that His sweat became like great drops of blood.
His loneliness is evident in this account as well. As I said earlier, He had told the disciples to wait for Him at the entrance of the garden, and He had taken Peter, James, and John with Him and told them to watch and pray as He went even further into the garden by Himself. Over and over He had tried to teach His disciples to love God and one another, but they continued to argue about who was the greatest. He had told them repeatedly about His need to go to Jerusalem so that He could die for the sins of the world, but they had ignored Him and just didn’t seem to understand. They had reprimanded children for trying to come to Jesus. They had criticized Mary for anointing Him with her precious ointment. One of His closest friends had gone to betray Him, and the rest of the disciples were about to desert Him completely. Jesus goes to the Father in prayer alone.
Jesus was also feeling fear as His hour approached. Surely as a human, He feared what was about to be done to Him. He would endure several trials and withstand the testimonies of false witnesses. He would be spat upon, beaten, slapped, and mocked. He would receive no sleep, and no rest from this point on. Pilate would send him to be whipped within an inch of His life. He would be stripped of His clothes and have a crown of thorns jammed down on His head. Finally, He would be nailed to a cross and left to die a long and painful death.
But I believe Jesus feared more than just the physical pain that He was about to endure. As I said earlier, the disciples seemed like they still didn’t “get it.” Jesus knew that He was out of time, and that He had taught them and prepared them as best as He could. He knew that satan not only was trying to destroy Him, but that he was also trying to destroy the disciples as well.
Perhaps Jesus feared abandonment by His Father the most. Jesus was God in the flesh. He was holy, and had never sinned. He knew that when He died on that cross, all the sins of mankind, past, present, and future would be placed on Him, and that His Father would be unable to look upon Him. For a few brief moments, He would be truly alone in the universe.
So how did Jesus handle all this? What did He do to prepare Himself for this crisis? He overcomes His deep distress by praying intensely. Prayer wasn’t something new for Jesus. Over and over throughout the Gospels, we find that Jesus goes off by Himself to pray. In verse 36, Jesus addresses God as Abba, the Aramaic word for “Daddy.” Jesus approaches the Father as a child approaches his daddy. We need to approach God the same way when we are faced with a crisis. Like Jesus, we need to have a close relationship with God. Have you ever lost your patience with someone that only came around to see you when they needed something? You only see that person when they need money or advice, or when they need a favor. Are you that way with God? Do you only go to Him when you need something? Jesus went to the Father for everything, but more importantly, He went to Him just because He loved Him.
Notice that Jesus expressed His confidence in God’s omnipotence. In verse 36, He prays, “All things are possible unto thee.” Jesus knew that God had the power to do anything that He so desired. When we go to prayer, we need to display that same sort of confidence. Hebrews 11:6 states that, “…without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.” Can God heal your loved one that is in critical condition in the ICU? Sure He can. Can God help you find a way to pay that electric bill even though you have lost your job? Sure He can. Ephesians 3:20 says that He “is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think.”
Jesus made a plea to be spared from His suffering. Again, in verse 36, Jesus says, “Take away this cup from me.” Jesus knew what was awaiting Him. The Bible describes Jesus as the Lamb slain from the foundations of the world. He knew that He would die for the sins of mankind long before the world was even created. Jesus wasn’t trying to back out of His mission. He was simply asking God if there was some other way. When that loved one is sick in the hospital and things are not looking good, it is ok to ask God for His healing. It is ok to ask God for guidance in making that tough decision. God wants us to pour out our hearts to Him and to ask for what we need.
But if we stop there, we miss the most important part of the entire scene. Jesus addressed the Father in intimate terms. He has confidence that God can answer His prayers. He pleas with God to deliver Him from the suffering He is about to experience. But then Jesus submits to God’s will. Look at the last sentence of verse 6. “Nevertheless not what I will, but what thou wilt.” Even though Jesus knew that God could do anything, He closed by saying, “God, this is what I would like, but you know best. I’ll do what you say.” When we pray for that loved one, we should ask for God’s healing, but we should also recognize that it may not be God’s will. Prayer isn’t a way for us to change God’s mind; it is a way for us to align our will with God’s. We must remember that God knows best, and that we only have a limited understanding of the entire plan. We can be confident that, no matter how things may turn out, it was what God deemed best for us.
Several years ago, my dad ended up in the hospital. At first, we didn’t know what was wrong, but eventually they found out that dad had a tumor in his brain the size of the palm or your hand. He also had cancer in his lungs and down his spine. I prayed for dad’s recovery over and over, but it seemed like every time I prayed, things just got worse. Finally, I was able to turn it over to God, and I trusted God to do what was best.
Dad came out of that hospital and lived for another year. But just before he died, my dad gave his life to the Lord. He had been saved years before, but he had turned away from God, and I had been praying for him all that time. Sure, I wanted my dad to be alive and healthy, but God had a different plan. I didn’t know it at the time, but God was using dad’s illness to get him to think about his soul. If dad hadn’t have gotten sick, he may not have given his life back to the Lord. I miss my dad, but I have the blessing of knowing that now I can go see him again someday, and we will be together forever in Heaven.
We all have crises in our lives. If you haven’t had one yet, hold on! Sooner or later you’ll experience one. My prayer is that, when you do, you’ll follow Jesus’ example and pray. Don’t wait until you need Him to pray. The Bible says that we should “Pray without ceasing.” Make it a habit to spend some time with Him each day. Go to Him at times just to say thank you for all He’s already done. Just tell Him about your day. He wants that kind of relationship with you.
When you pray, be sure to show your confidence in God’s ability to answer your prayer. Put your trust in Him. Don’t be afraid to pray something big! He is a great and powerful God, and He can do anything!
Tell Him exactly what you need. Be specific. Let Him know how you feel. Tell Him what you are afraid of. Ask for His help.
Finally, be willing to submit to God’s will, no matter what that might mean. Remember that He knows what it best, and put your faith in the fact that God will work it out in the way that is most beneficial to you or to whomever you are praying for.
Did God answer Jesus’ prayer? He surely did. God’s will was that Jesus would die on that cross for you and me, and that is what Jesus did. God didn’t take away the suffering that Jesus feared. But He did give Him the strength to endure it. Luke tells us that while Jesus was praying, God sent an angel to strengthen Jesus. Jesus used this strength to accomplish the mission that God sent Him to do. God can give you the strength you need to make it through the crisis you are facing too.
