Garden of Gethsemane: Overcome Like Jesus in Your 11th Hour
Inside: Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane is an inspiring example of overcoming in the 11th hour. Learn the two things you need (and the prerequisite for them) to overcome in your 11th hour.
One of the best examples of an 11th hour meaning in the Bible is Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane, just before He went to the cross. Those were crucial moments; He could have changed His mind. Thankfully He didn’t!
Would you like to overcome like Jesus in your 11th hour? You might not be facing such drastic circumstances, but you can do what He did to see victory. In short, you must face it alone and trade your will for God’s. Let’s look at these in more detail to see how it can apply to us today. And we’ll see what the prerequisite to those two are.
What Does the 11th Hour Mean?
According to Merriam-Webster, the definition of eleventh hour is “the latest possible time before it is too late.”
A lot of the time, we think of God coming through at 11:59 with a miracle. But what about the struggle we as humans face up until that last minute?
I can think of a couple of different major “11th hour” scenarios my family and I are going through right now. And I keep asking myself: Are you going to still be faithful to God through this? Can you trust that He knows best?
So I’m inspired by Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane. Let’s look at the account in Matthew because I’m referencing it further down.
Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane
Then Jesus came with them to a place called Gethsemane, and said to his disciples, “Sit here, while I go there and pray.” 37 He took with him Peter and the two sons of Zebedee, and began to be sorrowful and severely troubled. 38 Then he said to them, “My soul is exceedingly sorrowful, even to death. Stay here and watch with me.”
39 He went forward a little, fell on his face, and prayed, saying, “My Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass away from me; nevertheless, not what I desire, but what you desire.”
40 He came to the disciples and found them sleeping, and said to Peter, “What, couldn’t you watch with me for one hour? 41 Watch and pray, that you don’t enter into temptation. The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak.”
42 Again, a second time he went away and prayed, saying, “My Father, if this cup can’t pass away from me unless I drink it, your desire be done.”
43 He came again and found them sleeping, for their eyes were heavy. 44 He left them again, went away, and prayed a third time, saying the same words. 45 Then he came to his disciples and said to them, “Are you still sleeping and resting? Behold, the hour is at hand, and the Son of Man is betrayed into the hands of sinners. 46 Arise, let’s be going. Behold, he who betrays me is at hand.” Matthew 26:36-46
Learn the two things you need (and the prerequisite for them) to overcome in your 11th hour. #LiveYielded #ThrivingInChrist Click To TweetOvercome in Your 11th Hour by Facing It Alone
Granted, when Jesus was in the Garden of Gethsemane He wasn’t entirely alone. But the support He desired didn’t happen. Jesus basically said, hey this is how I’m feeling; stay with me (verse 38). But the disciples kept sleeping.
Have you ever been “going through it,” and you felt alone? The people around you won’t always understand what you’re going through or just how difficult it is.
And because of that, they won’t push past their needs to give you what you need. But even when you don’t receive the support you want, you can still face your 11th hour alone like Jesus did.
Jesus’ Prerequisite of Spiritual Growth
Jesus didn’t arrive at this moment without reaching a certain amount of spiritual growth. He was able to face this moment of anguish in the Garden of Gethsemane without vigilant disciples at His side because He had chosen over and over again to grow spiritually.
He chose as a child:
- He chose to be about His Father’s business (See Luke 2:49).
- He gained wisdom: “And Jesus increased in wisdom and stature, and in favour with God and men” (Luke 2:52).
He chose as an adult:
- “In these days, he went out to the mountain to pray, and he continued all night in prayer to God” (Luke 6:12). Uhhmm…it’s not easy to pray all night!
- He overcame temptation with the Word (see Matthew 4:1-11).
- He fasted (see Matthew 4:2).
Overcome in Your 11th Hour by Trading Your Will for God’s
What strikes me in the passage from Matthew 26:36-46 above is what Jesus was praying in the garden.
First, Jesus prays IF it’s possible, let this cup (of suffering) pass from Me (verse 39). Then Jesus prays the second time (verses 42), but it changes: “if this cup CANNOT pass away from Me unless I drink it, Your will be done” (NKJV, emphasis mine).
Between the first prayer and the second prayer, He wrestled with His will and discovered that “yeah, there’s no other way; I’m going to the cross.”
So why did He pray the third time, “saying the same words” (verse 44)?
He knew what was coming, and the human part of him didn’t like it. He had to “crucify His flesh” and yield His will to God’s.
Luke’s account gives details that the other two accounts (in Matthew and Mark) do not:
He was withdrawn from them about a stone’s throw, and he knelt down and prayed, 42 saying, “Father, if you are willing, remove this cup from me. Nevertheless, not my will, but yours, be done.”
43 An angel from heaven appeared to him, strengthening him. 44 Being in agony, he prayed more earnestly. His sweat became like great drops of blood falling down on the ground. Luke 22:41-44
Sweating drops of blood is a medical condition called hematidrosis that is sometimes “caused by extreme distress or fear, such as facing death, torture, or severe ongoing abuse.”
Jesus’ Prerequisite of Spiritual Growth
Again, Jesus didn’t arrive at this moment without reaching a certain amount of spiritual growth. He was able to face this moment of agony in the Garden of Gethsemane because He had made a practice of yielding His life to the Father’s will up to this point.
And that’s what it’s going to take for you and me in our 11th hour. If we want to overcome like Jesus, then habitually yielding to God is key.
The Pillar of Prayer
Jesus overcame in the Garden of Gethsemane because of prayer.
You need the pillar of prayer in your life to reach your 11th hour breakthrough.
Prayer helped Him face it alone, and prayer helped Him yield His will for the Father’s will.
Yielding to God so you can grow spiritually will get you there.
Read More
How to Know God’s Will for Sure
That’s powerful, am encouraged God’s will will always be the best.
So glad it encouraged, Esther! God bless you dear.
Yielding to GOD’S will and prayer is not always easy when you are facing hard times, but it’s necessary to reach new heights in GOD. I thank you greatly for this!! May we see the actions of JESUS and understand how to get through our 11th hour experiences. I pray that the FATHER who is able to do exceedingly, abundantly above all we can ask or think be with you and your family. May you all be given power HE gives to the weak and strength HE gives to the powerless in JESUS CHRIST.
Yes, and I just want to keep growing in Him, don’t you? Blessings to you and yours, Jess!
About Forgiveness question.I was a cop. I Loved be a cop I forgave a lot. I enjoy the joy in forgiving. But I do not let anybody go into this drug house because they still sell drugs. So I have 2 examples. First a women who forgave her abusive husband. He raped her the church said it was her fault and she should forgive him. She did and he did it again she is no longer with us. Now another marriages this Wife is mentally abused everyday! Her husband watches porn and has cheated on her. He has raped her. The church says it is her fault for not doing the things he wanted. He abusers her calls her names tells her everything is her fault, he spends her money even though he makes $160000.00 cause he is broke all the time. She says you said forgive. She forgives him everyday! Now she doesn’t want to live anymore. I have fasted many times for this man to change. He goes to church every Sunday. He as told everyone she has slept with all these men! That she spends all his money. He yells at her everyday belittles her everyday. She prays she will die’ so do I tell her it’s time to get as divorce?
Hi Joseph, I always try to get people to understand that forgiving is a heart issue, not staying in abuse issue. Of course we need to use common sense and not be a doormat. Someone may need to walk away for their own safety but can (and should) still forgive as God commands.
Thank you!!! Please find the time to blog on this subject! I went to Liberty and got a degree in Admin. Justice and minor in Biblical studies. I never thought how important these two were together. I have found many so called (Christian men) men using the Bible to abuse women. With the God hates divorce and the forgiveness over and over!
I have helped some but it is sad. I was getting my windshield changed the other day. A woman came in and was getting her replaced as well. She saw me reading my Bible app and asked if I was a Christian I said yes and she then asked my thoughts on Divorce in the Bible. Her husband is a leader in a church and abuses her sexually and mentally. He has threatened her with violence if she leaves. And tells her” the marriage is between you and me”. As a cop when we here those words we know abuse is going on! I gave her a bunch of Bible verses to give her strength to get to her mothers house! She texted me and said she was back home at her moms in another state. He had yelled at her called her a bunch of names and hit one of their autistic children. As for the women in the previous comments up above! Would you please pray for her. The son called me and said it was real bad!