Sunday, April 17, 2011

Matthew 26:36-44

36¶Then cometh Jesus with them unto a place called Gethsemane, and saith unto the disciples, Sit ye here, while I go and pray yonder.

37And he took with him Peter and the two sons of Zebedee, and began to be sorrowful and very heavy.

38Then saith he unto them, My soul is exceeding sorrowful, even unto death: tarry ye here, and watch with me.

39And he went a little further, and fell on his face, and prayed, saying, O my Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me: nevertheless not as I will, but as thou wilt.

40 And he cometh unto the disciples, and findeth them asleep, and saith unto Peter, What, could ye not watch with me one hour?

41 Watch and pray, that ye enter not into temptation: the spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak.

42 He went away again the second time, and prayed, saying, O my Father, if this cup may not pass away from me, except I drink it, thy will be done.

43 And he came and found them asleep again: for their eyes were heavy.

44 And he left them, and went away again, and prayed the third time, saying the same words.

These verses are so special as they speak of our Savior during the atonement. He felt "sorrowful and very heavy" as he proceeded to the garden. HE UNDERSTANDS WHEN WE FEEL THE SAME WAY ABOUT THINGS IN OUR LIFE! In verse 41 He reminded his disciples (remember we are also his disciples because we follow him) that they needed to "Watch and pray, that ye enter not into temptation: the spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak." How often do we feel this way? We are struggling in our lives with school, work, friends, family, even the gospel yet we feel so physically and emotionally tired that we fail to pray. Our spirits yearn for the guidance only our Father in Heaven can provide, yet our physical bodies often rule over our decision not to pray. It is during these difficult times that we must make time to pray formally and continuously so that our spirits can strengthen our physical bodies. I have been exhausted and called on my Father in Heaven in prayer only to find that I was blessed with the physical and mental ability to go on. He hears our prayers, just as he heard our Saviors prayer in the garden of Gethsemane. He loves us and will strengthen us in good times and in bad times. I know this is true. I am so grateful for his love for me, and for each of you.

I love YOU!
Sister Horne

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

Thank you Sister Horne. You have such a strong testimony and your word always lift and inspire me. Life can be so hard sometimes. Yesterday I was teaching a class and nothing seemed to go right. I just felt like breaking down and crying (lets be honest, I did break down and cry a little) but the lesson went so well and the spirit was so strong. I know that our Heavenly Father is aware of us and hears our prayers and can feel our pains. Even when they are not sinful pains but just every day pain or heartache. He knows who we are and has a plan for us. We just have to be patient because we can't see the whole picture yet. I have had to learn that this year and to be optimistic, patient, and faithful through our trials and he will bless us. Love you Sister Horne. Thanks for you beautiful testimony always :)