In the Garden

When Jesus and disciples left the Upper Room they went to the Garden to pray.

When the had sung a hymn, they went out the Mount of Olives.

Matthew 26:30 (NIV)

Again one of my favorite places in Israel, the Garden of Gethsemane. Many places are "supposedly" the place where Jesus' ministry took place, but not this one. This is the same garden in the exact same spot. Is the rock where He prayed the actual rock He prayed on? Not sure, but I am disappointed they decided to build entire church over the spot.... they obviously mowed down a lot of trees. And the solitude of the olive tress is what makes this garden a spot worth resting your body, mind, and spirit.


Again the heat of Israel will zap all your energies. Yet, once you venture within the shade of these 2000+ year old trees there is a coolness that seeps through. A fragrant breeze that blows and rustles through its branches.


When we stopped to rest and catch our breath.... the trek up the hill in the heat was almost unbearable, but the view was unbelievable. We could see the wall around the Old City of Jerusalem and the Golden Gate. The only unopened gate, the gates the Messiah will open once He returns.

Gethsemane

36 Then Jesus went with his disciples to a place called Gethsemane, and he said to them, "Sit here while I go over there and pray." 37 He took Peter and the two sons of Zebedee along with him, and he began to be sorrowful and troubled. 38 Then he said to them, "My soul is overwhelmed with sorrow to the point of death. Stay here and keep watch with me."

39 Going a little farther, he fell with his face to the ground and prayed, "My Father, if it is possible, may this cup be taken from me. Yet not as I will, but as you will."

40 Then he returned to his disciples and found them sleeping. "Couldn't you men keep watch with me for one hour?" he asked Peter. 41 "Watch and pray so that you will not fall into temptation. The spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak."

42 He went away a second time and prayed, "My Father, if it is not possible for this cup to be taken away unless I drink it, may your will be done."

43 When he came back, he again found them sleeping, because their eyes were heavy. 44 So he left them and went away once more and prayed the third time, saying the same thing.

45 Then he returned to the disciples and said to them, "Are you still sleeping and resting? Look, the hour is near, and the Son of Man is delivered into the hands of sinners."

Matthew 26:36-45

As I sat on a park bench just enjoying the time off my feet and in the shade... I looked to my right and see the garden . The spot where Jesus went to pray. To talk to His Father. The spot where is soul was overwhelmed with sorrow. The spot where He asked His Father to take this cup from Him. Where the Spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak.


To my left, I see the Golden Gates, the spot where the Messiah will return.


The Closed Gate

Then he brought me back by way of the outer gate of the sanctuary which faces east, but it was shut. The Lord said to me: “This gate will be shut; it will not be opened, and no one will enter by it. For the Lord, the God of Israel, has entered by it; therefore it will remain shut.

Ezekiel 44:1,2




From the spot where He took on the sins of the world to the spot where He returns for the world. From a look right to left, I looked up to say "thank you". Thank you for what you did for me. Then I looked down, closed my eyes and prayed.



I prayed a prayer of Thanksgiving for all He has done for me. A prayer when I say my spirit is willing, but most of the time my flesh is weak. A prayer of confession when must of the time I am hoping You will take this cup from me. A prayer when I realize the awe ness of what You did for me. A decision You made in this garden changed my life forever. A prayer of submission where I say "Not my will Lord, but Yours."



Blessings for the Garden,

Kristie