Photo courtesy of Sean MacEntee.

We hope you enjoy this re-post from January 4, 2014. Be blessed! The Today’s Quote From God Team

…remove this cup from me: nevertheless not my will, but thine… – Luke 22:42, KJV

I have a dear friend who has been through a lot during the past year. Three of his close family members, including his father (with whom he was very close), passed away. Both he and his wife were involved in automobile accidents, his resulting from a previously unknown medical condition that remains undiagnosed. And, to top it all off, his sweet little daughter almost severed one of her fingers at church one evening. Needless to say, my friend and his family have had a challenging year, and they are praying for the new year to be a little less stressful.

During a testimony time at our Sunday School class Christmas party, my friend praised The Lord for His goodness through it all. He also shared an anecdote that stuck with me:

Once there a man walking through the woods, and on his back he was carrying a large cross. As the cross became heavier and heavier, the man was at the point of exhaustion when he stumbled upon a woodcutter going about his own business. The man approached the woodcutter, asking him to ease his burden by chopping off some of the cross. The woodcutter obliged, cutting off a pretty significant section of wood from the bottom of the cross.

The burden immediately became lighter, and the man energetically thanked the woodcutter for his help. The man resumed his journey, only to come upon a great obstacle a few miles down the road. There was a huge gorge at the end of the path, and there was no bridge in sight to enable the man to cross to the other side. After surveying the situation, the man noticed a very narrow section of the gorge, and immediately he had an idea. He would use his cross as a bridge to get to the other side. He approached the narrow section with confidence, took his cross off of his back, and prepared to lay it across the gap. Then, his heart sank as he noticed something terribly disheartening: the cross was too short to bridge the gap, and it was short by the exact amount of wood that the woodcutter had cut off.

It is both natural and understandable for us to seek relief when the burdens of life lay across our backs. They can easily become weighty, and due to the discomfort they create, we want out from under them. There is absolutely nothing wrong with seeking relief from trial and tribulation, but we would be wise to do so with a heart of understanding – understanding, that is, that God can use our burdens to enable us and to enable others to bridge great gulfs in our lives. Had Paul been prematurely relieved of his burdens, the great prison letters of the New Testament may never have been written. Had Joseph’s burdens been prematurely ended, then the nation of Israel might not have been saved from famine. And had Christ’s burdens been shortened, salvation might not be available to us today.

When we pray for relief, we should pray for relief the way Christ did so in the Garden of Gethsemane (Luke 22:42, KJV):

…Father, if thou be willing, remove this cup from me: nevertheless not my will, but thine, be done.

If we pray with such an attitude, we will seek relief in the proper way and with the proper heart. God may see fit to remove the suffering immediately. Or, He may desire for us to continue carrying the burden. Either way, praying with such a Christlike attitude will give us comfort as we remember that no matter when – or even if – the relief comes, God will use our trials to prepare us and others to bridge the even greater gaps to come.