The Journey of YesSample

WHOSE WILL?

Jesus’s prayer in the Garden of Gethsemane reached a point of desperation when He said, “Father, if you are willing, take this cup from me” (Luke 22:42). In other words, with the prospect of a painful death, and having to endure separation from the Father in His near future, He was saying, “I really don’t want to do this, God. So, if You want to change Your mind, now would be the time.”

Just like Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane, we will have moments when we ask God to let a yes pass us by. And we usually want it to pass us by because we don’t want it to separate us from our desires and our plan—the way we thought things were going to turn out. Sometimes we are avoiding the yes because we are looking for an escape from the pruning seasons that are so difficult.

Faced with death and carrying the sins of the world, Jesus still ended His plea to the Father with “Not my will, but yours be done.”

And that is how we persevere in our journey of yes. As we work out our obedient response to God, we say, “God, I don’t want to do this, but ultimately let me settle into Your will. Not mine, but Yours be done.”

In the long run, we won’t be sorry.

I always like to say that my yes gives God something to breathe on. When your life is surrendered to the will of God, you can end up smack dab in the middle of a blessing you didn’t dream of, far above anything you ever imagined.

Repeatedly, I’m amazed at how much the Lord really did have things planned out. His promise rings truer and fuels my perseverance: “‘I know the plans I have for you,’ declares the Lord, ‘plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future’” (Jeremiah 29:11).

If you’re wondering whether this journey ever ends, the answer is no. The journey of yes is an endless adventure into deeper intimacy with Jesus. And that deep relationship with Him is what gives us the courage and strength to say yes to whatever He asks next.

Are you resistant to God’s calls in your life? Or are you submitting yourself to Him, even if you are still nervous?