Anxiety Attack
"And being in anguish, he prayed more earnestly, and his sweat was like
drops of blood falling to the ground." (Luke 22:44)
I can remember taking an anxiety attack about 4-5 years ago. I woke up one
night with shortness of breath and my heart was racing. I didn’t know what
was happening and I feared the worst. I had no chest pains and it was over
within a matter of minutes. I was drenched with sweat and shivered for quite
a while. It was an awful moment and not one that I would wish on my worst
enemy.
Christ’s experience was entirely different. This wasn’t an anxiety attack
that He underwent in the Garden of Gethsemane. This was a moment of deep
anguish. He knew what He was facing and He feared the worst. He perfectly
understood what God’s plan of salvation entailed. This was the make or break
moment for Jesus. He could either face death and fight sin, or He could flee
from pain and forsake every sinner. It was the hardest choice anyone has had
to make. No wonder Christ sweated so profusely. It was all or nothing. There
was no other way to win the world for God.
We all undergo moments of doubt, anxiety, and fear in our lives. We all face
times of uncertainty, hardship and tragedy. During those frightful and
worrying events, we can depend upon Christ to perfectly understand what we
are enduring, because He has been through similar times. He didn’t abandon
the world in Gethsemane. He will certainly not forsake us either.
Prayer: Lord Jesus, sometimes we get so caught up with our own lives, our
own worries, and our own anxieties that we forget to rely upon You. Instead
of releasing our burdens and casting our cares upon You, we tend to keep
hold of what we’ve got. Forgive us for being foolish and faithless. Help us
to allow You to support and uphold us during anxious and worrying times. In
Your Holy Name, we pray. Amen.
John Stuart