While Jesus was here on earth, he offered prayers and pleadings, with a loud cry and tears, to the one who could rescue him from death. And God heard his prayers because of his deep reverence for God. Even though Jesus was God’s Son, he learned obedience from the things he suffered. In this way, God qualified him as a perfect High Priest, and he became the source of eternal salvation for all those who obey him. (NLT)

When Jesus walked the earth, he provided the perfect example of how we are to walk during our earthly time. He showed us what it was to be righteous, holy, and loving. He showed us who we are to love and what we are to value. It’s easy to think that Jesus never struggled because he was the perfect Son of God – he WAS God.

Our text today shows us something different…

While Jesus was here on earth, he offered prayers and pleadings, with a loud cry and tears.

Jesus, being fully man, did indeed struggle. He struggled with the weight of what he was to face. He struggled with the thought of being separated from his Holy Father under the weight of OUR sin and guilt. And when he struggled, what did he do? Well, he complained to his followers. He threw a fit and demanded that God do for him what he wanted. He cried out that it wasn’t fair and that he was not going to go through the anguish no matter what. Of course he didn’t do that!! That’s what we do.

Have you ever been in a situation that you knew there was no way you could handle? Where maybe you thought you were unjustly being asked to do something that you didn’t have the tools, resources, skill set, or even time to do? What was your reaction? Did you go to your coworker and complain about your supervisor and how unfair it all was? Did you stomp around miserable and stressed, making sure everyone in the office knew how you felt?

You see, Jesus not only set the example of who and how we are to love, but he also showed us how we are to handle things that cause us stress and anxiety. He offered prayers and pleadings with loud cries and tears. He went straight to the source of his peace and the only one who could truly free him from the situation.

BUT, he also went with open hands: Even though Jesus was God’s Son, he learned obedience from the things he suffered. God didn’t take Jesus, his beloved Son, out of the grueling situation he was about to endure. But Jesus knew that God was still with him:  And God heard his prayers because of his deep reverence for God.

I love how kind our God is. He doesn’t ask us to do anything that he has not already done. Our God knows the anguish we feel, the stress we encounter, the fear of the unknown – because he himself felt it all when he put on flesh and came to Earth to live among us. Rest assured that, whatever you are going through, he has already dealt with. He is with you, and he hears you. In this way, God qualified him as a perfect High Priest, and he became the source of eternal salvation for all those who obey him.

What is God qualifying you for as you walk through your struggles? We may never know this side of heaven, but we can rest assured that he has a plan, and that it is all for our good and his glory!

Oh Father, that we would know and see what you are working out. But God, you call us to a faith that is higher and better than what is seen. God give us the confidence to walk, head held high, through whatever you bring us to, knowing that you are right there with us. Knowing that if you bring us to it, you will bring us through it.  Father, thank you for the example of your Son. In his name ~ AMEN!