July 28

“Father, if You are willing, take this cup from Me. Yet not My will, but Yours be done.” — Luke 22:42 BSB

He who once suffered in Gethsemane will be our strength and victory as well. We may fear and falter, but we must not be dismayed. We will one day look back and say, "Not one word of the Lord has failed."

But like Christ, we must face our trials with a submissive spirit, not a defiant one. Jesus had to say, "Not My will, but Yours be done," but in doing so, He gained the very thing He surrendered. The submission of Gethsemane is not a hopeless resignation but a free submission that bows to God in order to receive double strength through faith and prayer.

We let go to take a firmer hold. We give up to receive more fully. We lay down our Isaac, only to receive him back in resurrection life, infinitely more secure because he now belongs to God.