The Very Reason
John 12:27-28 (NLT)
Now my soul is deeply troubled. Should I pray, 'Father, save me from this hour?' But this is the very reason I came! Father, bring glory to your name.
Jesus is in pain. It’s easy to attribute to this whole verse a tone of confidence, especially in comparison to his depth of despair later in Gethsemane. But if we linger on that first sentence, Jesus' soul is ‘deeply troubled’; other translations read ‘deeply distressed’ (AMP) or ‘storm-tossed’ (MSG). This is a time of emotional turmoil from a man who knows that in a matter of days, he will die painfully. This dread should not be disregarded or understated.
Jesus then makes the natural prayer response: ‘Father, save me.’ This is absolutely biblical; we see it repeatedly throughout the Psalms and we know God values our honesty and cares about our pain. But what’ is compelling here is that Jesus challenges his own prayer by considering his God-given purpose. Jesus looks at his pain and sees the reason why he’s on Earth; although the prospect of an agonising death horrifies him, he knows that the result will be freedom for humankind forever.
The world is broken. Not all agony we endure is for the purpose of good. But perhaps there are some circumstances which we would rather avoid for the sake of our own comfort, and the temptation is to pray ‘Lord, please get me out of here!’ What if in those moments, we paused, and asked God ‘Why have you placed me here?’
It might be there are people you have to work or live with whom you find deeply irritating – perhaps God has chosen you to be there as the 'gentle Jesus lover' to demonstrate unconditional love. Or maybe you’ve been talking to someone regularly about a past trauma and each time another excruciating detail is being drawn out – God is certainly leading you into greater personal freedom. Perhaps we should be ending more prayers when we're suffering with, ‘Father, bring glory to your name.’
Prayer — Father, I trust you in the midst of my discomfort and suffering. Give me discernment to see how you’re using/growing me. Father, bring glory to your name.