There are several variables which can produce anxiety, stress or worry. Anticipation can make the mind race, questioning all the possible scenarios, often starting with the worst first. Fear of the unknown adds a feeling of uncertainty, producing a myriad of emotions. Thus, it doesn’t take much for an individual to become overwhelmed by the future.
“My soul is overwhelmed with sorrow to the point of death,” he said to them. “Stay here and keep watch,” Mark 14:34.
Those who possess discernment, keen insight and the gift of prophecy can sense when bad things are about to happen. In the case of Jesus, he knew when and how he was going to die. Thus, as the hours drew closer, Jesus’ soul was consumed with sorrow. To make matters worse, the twelve men he invested the last three years of his life into were about to abandon, betray or deny him publicly. The human side of Jesus was also overwhelmed by the future.
In your struggle against sin, you have not yet resisted to the point of shedding your blood, Hebrews 12:4.
As Jesus entered the Garden of Gethsemane, he asked his disciples to keep watch and pray. In the hours that followed, the author describes a level of stress which is unprecedented, suggesting his sweat was like blood. Whether this happened or not doesn’t matter, the key is Jesus died for all sinners, Romans 5:8. Therefore, if you are stressed out about today or the future, prepare yourself just like Jesus: keep watch and pray so temptation doesn’t hold you hostage.
by Jay Mankus
