“Jesus went out as usual to the Mount of Olives, and his disciples followed him. On reaching the place, he said to them, “Pray that you will not fall into temptation.” He withdrew about a stone’s throw beyond them, knelt down and prayed, “Father, if you are willing, take this cup from me; yet not my will, but yours be done.” An angel from heaven appeared to him and strengthened him. And being in anguish, he prayed more earnestly, and his sweat was like drops of blood falling to the ground. When he rose from prayer and went back to the disciples, he found them asleep, exhausted from sorrow. “Why are you sleeping?” he asked them. “Get up and pray so that you will not fall into temptation.“” (Luke 22:39-46 NIV)

I was reading the above passage in Luke this week and noticed something I hadn’t seen before. When Jesus returns from a time in prayer alone in the deepest anguish, he finds them “asleep, exhausted from sorrow.” The Good News translation has it as “worn our by their grief.” I knew they had fallen asleep, but had missed this extra description of their emotional state.

Those days must have been completely overwhelming for the disciples. Jesus had warned them that very night around the Passover table that betrayal and trials were coming. Peter swore to go with Jesus “to prison and to death” (22:33). They faced opposition from their religious leaders, the threat of Roman force, and the fervor of the crowds. Maye even more hurtful may have been the knowledge that one of their own would betray them, and that they themselves would falter.

No wonder they were worn out!

I think of times in my life when I’ve felt pressure and have been exhausted by sorrow, times when I felt like my faith was faltering and the pressure was too much for me. I find one comfort and one challenge in this passage.

The comfort is that in our sorrow and exhaustion, Jesus is still praying, still awake, and still working for the will of God to be done.

That reminds me of these verses in Romans:

“In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us through wordless groans. And he who searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for God’s people in accordance with the will of God. And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.” (Rom 8:26-28 NIV)

The Holy Spirit is active and at work even when we are at an end of our strength. Even when we don’t even know what to pray for. God’s purposes and plans aren’t thwarted by our weakness.

The challenge in this passage is that even in our sorrow, as unfair as it seems, we will face temptation. Jesus tells his disciples to “get up and pray so that you will not fall into temptation.” He knew the coming trial would test them and lay bare all their weaknesses. Peter would turn to violence and then outright self-protection and disappoint himself completely. All the other disciples except John (who was there at the cross) would scatter and hide away until Jesus’ resurrection.

In our sorrow, we’ll be tempted to turn away from God and to other comforts. We’ll be tempted to act in ways contrary to the Kingdom.

When I’m exhausted with sorrow, I often soothe myself with easy and quick distractions. The last thing I want to do is talk to God about the situations, and definitely don’t want to read my Bible! I work so hard to figure out the solution on my own or with other people, but I fail to pray.

I find in this passage a loving admonition and warning to continue to pray and turn to God in our sorrow, and not to false comforts and solutions that will disappoint or maybe even harm us.

Times of sorrow are exhausting, but they are not times to stop praying, even if the only prayer we have is a groan before God. We can have hope that Jesus is still praying for us and working out the will of God.

I hope that encourages you today.

COPYRIGHT/USAGE: All writing, artwork and photos are copyright Marydean Draws. Please do not repost or resell on another website. I’m happy for you to use my coloring pages and other printables for home, school, and ministry. If you share content, please link back to the original post. Thank you!