Dear Reader
“And he went forward a little, and fell on the ground, and prayed that, if it were possible, the hour might pass from Him. And he said, Abba, Father, all things are possible unto thee; take away this cup from me: nevertheless not what I will, but what Thou wilt” (Mark 14:35-36)
There are two prayers recorded for us in the New Testament that we can safely call the Lord’s prayers, for they were uttered by our blessed Lord. One is found in the Gospels of Matthew, Mark, and Luke and the other in the Gospel of John. The one recorded in the synoptic gospels is in view of His suffering, and the one in John is in view of the glory that follows. Let us with holy affection stand with wonder and hear his poured-out heart as He is anticipating the hour. In the gospel of Mark, He said “Abba, Father, all things are possible unto thee; take away this cup from me: nevertheless not what I will, but what Thou wilt.” There were three facts the Lord was conscious of as he prayed. First, He said “Abba”—the Spirit of God recorded for us not only what He said but how he said it, “Abba”—for He was well aware of and confident in the Father’s love. Second, He said, “All things are possible unto thee”: He knew well the Father’s power. Third, He said, “Nevertheless not what I will, but what thou wilt”: He was resting in the perfect will of the Father. The love of the Father, the power of the Father, and the will of the Father were the threefold cord that sustained that holy blessed Man in His hour of need.
Today there is fear in us and all around us because of the COVID-19 virus. The world and its governments are at loss what to do. We as believers might also be impacted physically or psychologically. Many are praying as they fear the unknown. But how important it is that when we pray our hearts look unto Jesus and pray like Him, with our hearts supported with the full knowledge of the love of the Father, who spared not his Son but delivered Him up for us all. And we pray in the power of the Father, that power that raised the Lord Jesus from among the dead and made Him to set at His right hand. That power that is for us, that is in us, and that is with us. And to rest in the knowledge of the perfect will of the Father, who knows what is best for his children whom He loves. “Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need” (Hebrews 4:16).
Praying that you will be kept under the shadow of His wings, my dear reader. Please keep praying for the Lord’s blessing on Toward the Mark.
Yours in our soon-coming Lord,
Emil S. Nashed
Please send your questions and comments to:
Toward The Mark
c/o Wayne Christian Assembly
60 Smith Lane
Wayne, NJ 07470-5354
Attention: Emil S. Nashed
www.towardthemark.org
