Wrestling in Prayer

On this Good Friday, let us reflect on how Jesus wrestled in prayer for us in the Garden of Gethsemane.

"Father, if you are willing, take this cup from me; yet not my will, but yours be done." - Luke 22:42 (NIV)

The Son intercedes for us

"Who will bring any charge against those whom God has chosen? It is God who justifies. Who is he that condemns? Christ Jesus, who died - more than that, who was raised to life - is at the right hand of God and is also interceding for us." - Romans 8:33-34 (NIV)

The Spirit intercedes for us

"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 with groans that words cannot express. And he who searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints in accordance with God's will." - Romans 8:26-27 (NIV)

By the way, Romans 8:26-27 is not about speaking in tongues...

The saints* intercede for us

"Epaphras, who is one of you and a servant of Christ Jesus, sends greetings. He is always wrestling in prayer for you, that you may stand firm in all the will of God, mature and fully assured." - Colossians 4:12 (NIV)

*those who are alive, not those who are dead

The Son, the Spirit and other saints are wrestling in prayer for us. Are we wrestling in prayer for ourselves, not to mention for others?

"Jesus called out with a loud voice, "Father, into your hands I commit my spirit." When he had said this, he breathed his last." - Luke 23:46 (NIV)

*****

"So I find this law at work: When I want to do good, evil is right there with me. For in my inner being I delight in God's law; but I see another law at work in the members of my body, waging war against the law of my mind and making me a prisoner of the law of sin at work within my members. What a wretched man I am! Who will rescue me from this body of death? Thanks be to God - through Jesus Christ our Lord! So then, I myself in my mind am a slave to God's law, but in the sinful nature a slave to the law of sin." - Romans 7:21-25 (NIV)