The Cup of Suffering

By Pastor Monique Lopez Ong

Matthew 26, Luke 22 and Mark 14 talks about Jesus and the woman who washes His feet with oil. He was being readied for what is to come. And then He has a last supper with His disciples. But what happens after dinner? Jesus went with His disciples to Gethsemane so that He could pray. He became anguished and distressed, telling them, “My soul is crushed with grief to the point of death.” Jesus was not exempted from suffering. Many Christians do not want the latter when they obey Jesus Christ. But nobody is exempted from it.

1. There is a weight of the cup of suffering. Jesus went through extreme pain, distress and anxiety. He went through Hisbown cup of suffering. He suffered most of all. The cup of suffering is divine judgement which equalled death. He did not fear death but He feared separation from the Almighty God. People respond to suffering in different ways. But Jesus responded by praying. If you are suffering today, you have a Savior who went through all of that. You can pray too.

2. The struggle is real. To struggle is human. What we do in that struggle is what matters. It is man’s natural nature to avoid pain and stress. When this happens, you ask God to just take it all away. Humans have 4 survival mechanisms: flight (workholic, over-thinker, anxiety, oanic, OCD, difficulty sitting still, perfectionist), fight (anger outburst, controlling, bullying, narcissism, explosive behavior), freeze (difficulty making decisions, being stuck, dissociation, isolation, being numb), and fawn (people pleasing, having a lack of identity, no boundaries, overwhelmed, co-dependent). Jesus wrestled with the assignment God gave Him. It is not a sin to struggle. But it is what we do in the struggle that matters. Paychologists tell people to do 3 things: breathe, focus on a tranquil place and pray; walk, exercise and have social support. Jesus responds to the struggle in a different way. He finds the Father. He is teaching us how to respond to struggle. When you are in the struggle,you can find the Father too. Be honest about your pain and bring it to Him. He listens.

3. Surrender to God’s will. Trust and obey God and embrace your purpose. As you pray, you will learn to surrender to God’s will. God will not put you in a place to suffer. Even when it is hard, God is still teaching you to increase your faith. As you pray, you surrender. Many times, when you obey, your character is changed. He is making you stronger every minute. Surrender is not weakness. It is actually a test of strength.

Many people in the Bible surrendered to God.

Mary, the mother of Jesus, surrendered in faith and humility. Luke 1:38 says, “Let it be to me according to your word.” If God gives you an assignment, will you take it? Some already know their assignment but have not said yes.

Abraham waited for a very long time to have a child. And when he got Isaac, he was asked ro offer him to the Lord. Genesis 22 tells about obedience even when it costs everything.

Job exercised faith even in the face of loss. Job 1:21 says, “The Lord gave, and the zlord has taken away; blessed ve the name of the Lord.” Job never complained and praised got in the midst of all the trials he was facing.

That is true surrender. It is saying Your will be done, not mine. When you have pressure in life, echo Jesus’ words: Your will be done, not mine. When you surrender to God, He will send reinforcements to strengthen you.

There is a need for vigilant intercessors. Standing in the gap strengthens our inner man for suffering. Be confident in the Lord in praying. Pray from the area of overcoming. Jesus commands us to be steadfast and to watch and pray fervently. Jesus did not pray only once or twice. He prayed a third time saying the dame things again. Jesus’ way of praying is to pray until you overcome. You don’t pray once and then go back to your depression. You keep on praying until you overcome.

Reflect on the price Jesus paid for you. Bring all your burden to the Lord. Pray for God’s will to be done. Surrender and obey.