Are you being called to taste some bitter cup of pain or loss? Are you tempted to push it away? You may be wondering, Is God in this situation? If so, recall the dark and distressing experience of Jesus and His example on the night of His betrayal.

We must never forget that Jesus was the God-Man, with both divine and human natures. He therefore recoiled from the prospect of agonizing crucifixion and the ordeal of having the world’s sin heaped on His sinless soul. And worst of all, He shuddered at the thought of being abandoned by His Father. So He pleaded, “If it is possible, let this cup pass from Me” (Matt. 26:39). Yet after that He said in trustful submission, “Shall I not drink the cup which My Father has given Me?” (John 18:11). He knew that the hand, which would for our redemption hold the cup to His lips, was not the hand of Judas or Caiaphas or Pilate. It was the hand of His loving Father intent on redeeming our lost human race.

Baffled by the mystery of such love, we take our stand on Calvary and believe that any cup we drink is held to our lips by the Father of fathomless love and wisdom. Our prayer is that of trustful submission because we believe that even life’s most bitter cup is held in the Father’s hand.  — Vernon C. Grounds