What to Do When Things Don't Go Our Way!

What to Do in Critical Moments of Tough Times

Matthew 26:36-46

³⁶Then Jesus went with his disciples to a place called Gethsemane, and he said to them, "Sit here while I go over there and pray." ³⁷He took Peter and the two sons of Zebedee along with him, and he began to be sorrowful and troubled. ³⁸Then he said to them, "My soul is overwhelmed with sorrow to the point of death. Stay here and keep watch with me."

³⁹Going 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."

⁴⁰Then he returned to his disciples and found them sleeping. "Could you men not keep watch with me for one hour?" he asked Peter. ⁴¹"Watch and pray so that you will not fall into temptation. The spirit is willing, but the body is weak."

⁴²He went away a second time and prayed, "My Father, if it is not possible for this cup to be taken away unless I drink it, may your will be done."

⁴³When he came back, he again found them sleeping, because their eyes were heavy. ⁴⁴So he left them and went away once more and prayed the third time, saying the same thing.

⁴⁵Then he returned to the disciples and said to them, "Are you still sleeping and resting? Look, the hour is near, and the Son of Man is betrayed into the hands of sinners. ⁴⁶Rise, let us go! Here comes my betrayer!"

I loved this study I just completed on Sunday. It is about dealing about what to do when things don't go your way.

It's how we handle things that demonstrate who we are and what we are made of. Its what we do in times when we must make a decision in the face of difficulty will lead us to our own gardens of Gethsemane, will it be my will or God's will?

Life is full of those decisions and opportunities through our life. Do we get a divorce or ride out the storm and stay committed to God and our marriage? Should I take this job that requires me to travel so much and pays more or keep a lower paying job closer to home?

In the above scripture we find that Jesus repeats His request in prayer to God three times. This is rarely ever done anywhere else in the Bible.

Here are the three steps we much do when faced with a decision in a critical or tough time.

1. Involve Seeking the Will of God ~ Jesus prayed for the same thing three times and only one thing remained on His mind, the will of God. His supreme concern for his entire life was always about the will of God. "For I have come down from heaven not to do my will but to do the will of him who sent me." ~ John 6:38 NIV

The will of God was never forced on Jesus. Let's compare the two gardens of the Bible, the Garden of Eden and the Garden of Gethsemane.

Garden of Eden

Adam and Eve were the occupants.
They ruined life for all of us here on Earth from the way God intended it to be.
They were broken in their relationship from God.
They hid from Him.
The sword was shown to keep them from returning to Eden.
Their decision was made by using their own will and sin came upon the world.
Not thy will but by my will.

Garden of Gethsemane

By Jesus being in the Garden of Gethsemane, He healed us.
Our relationship with God was restored.
Jesus bared His soul in this Garden.
The sword was put away when Peter cut the ear off the guard. Jesus told him to put it away.
Jesus showed us it was not His will that was being done but God's will.

Our plan and purpose should be that we are seeking, finding and doing the will of God everyday.

How can you know the will of God?

Spend some time with God, read His word daily and pray. He will reveal it to you. The closer you are to God the more you will understand His will for you.

2. Doing the Will of God ~ Some times we can struggle with this. Jesus did. He was taking all the sins of man on him.

You know what you should do but you don't want to do it. This is what we all face. This is where the struggle lies. Your stress is nothing compared to what Jesus faced that night in the Garden. There has never been a greater suffering than that which takes you to the brink of death. His sweat become blood. There is a medical condition known for this called hemotrodosis, which is when stress is so bad due to tremendous stress and anxiety that the capillaries below the surface of the skin break. Our heart rate and blood pressure go through the roof.

So what was Jesus so stressed out about? A cup. What is that cup? It is the wrath of God that would be poured out on Jesus as punishment from his father. He is facing the judgment from God for something that He didn't do. He only knew of God's love up to that point.

So the cost for doing God's will ~ Jesus understands more than you know. When we are struggling, begging God not to allow us to go through it, and it's not always easy to do Gods will. If it were easy, everyone would be willing to do it. Jesus was willing to go to Hell if it meant He couldn't save us, but because he knew that it would mean saving all of us so we could have an eternal home in heaven, He did God's will. The war was won at the cross but the battle was taking place in the Garden.

3. Surrender to the Will of God ~ Jesus calls God, My Father or Abba, which means Daddy or Poppa in Arabic. The only place Jesus prays to His father like a child would.

The thing to remember that if we defy God's will, the cost will be too great for you! You have to looks at the cost versus benefits of doing God's will. Benefits = approval of God. Cost = Saved us from living forever in Hell based on our sinful life. I think that the cost will always be worth it in the end. Who would ever chose otherwise?