Be Refreshed
Then an angel appeared to Him from heaven, strengthening Him. Luke 22:43
Have you ever come to a portion of scripture in your daily reading or study time that you have read many times before? When that happens, you can be tempted to quickly go through it or even think: I know this part so I will skip on to the next section. When that happens consider instead for it to be like a delicious meal. Even though you have had your favorite meal many times in the past, when it is prepared for you again, you are ready and looking forward to it because it always tastes so good!! You don’t skip and say “Oh, I’ve had that dish before and I know it is good, but I am going to pass this time because it isn’t something new.” No! You know that it is going to be delicious, and you want to enjoy the benefits of the taste and nutrition of that food again. You also know that your physical body needs continual nourishment to thrive and survive in life. Really, passing it up is not an option. If we approach scripture with that mindset, we will be able to enjoy the delights of fresh revelation and new insights every time we look at it. Not to mention the spiritual nourishment we need to grow in our faith walk.
The next few sections in Luke are passages that are probably familiar to many of us, so let’s go through these with the anticipation that we have been here before and it was good. Looking at them again at this point in time is going to be delicious and nutritious!!
Jesus often withdrew from His disciples to pray. In today’s reading He is once again going off to be alone in prayer. However, this is the first time He ever took anyone with Him. This time, He took Peter, James and John with Him and told them He was really struggling with what was about to happen. He asked them to watch and pray while He went a little further to pray. Jesus knew the guards would be coming for Him soon, so He set up His closest and most trusted guys to keep watch for those who would be coming to arrest Him. Peter, James and John watched as Jesus went on ahead and fell on the ground to pray, but they did not understand the depth of His stress. During that prayer time, Jesus came back to find them sleeping. He cautioned them to watch and pray because He knew the hour of temptation was coming.
Jesus was praying for strength and deliverance that night in the garden. He wanted to escape the next day’s events of torment, but He submitted His will to the Father’s will. This portion of scripture says that during His prayer time, an angel came all the way from heaven to strengthen Him, and even though this was refreshing to Jesus, He continued to be in agony and pray more earnestly. The angel must have encouraged Jesus enough to continue to press into God even though the reality was that He wanted to run away from what was about to happen. That refreshing gave Him the empowerment to complete the mission He was sent here to do.
Today, we actually have a great strengthener than the angels. We have the Holy Spirit of God with us at all times. He is the refresher, and He is our strengthener and empowers us to complete our mission each day. We only need to ask and seek the direction and empowerment of what that mission is. When taking the time to press in for direction, strength and enablement, we are then refreshed by the Spirit’s life inside of us.
Today I want to encourage you to take some time away before you face each day. Fall on your knees before your Father and seek His refreshing. Receive the Holy Spirit’s strength and empowerment to accomplish the plan He has for you today. Complete down to the last detail every plan and purpose your life has in this world, just as Jesus did.
Today’s scripture reading: Luke 22:39-46
39 Coming out, He went to the Mount of Olives, as He was accustomed, and His disciples also followed Him.
40 When He came to the place, He said to them, “Pray that you may not enter into temptation.”
41 And He was withdrawn from them about a stone’s throw, and He knelt down and prayed,
42 saying, “Father, if it is Your will, take this cup away from Me; nevertheless not My will, but Yours, be done.”
43 Then an angel appeared to Him from heaven, strengthening Him.
44 And being in agony, He prayed more earnestly. Then His sweat became like great drops of blood falling down to the ground.
45 When He rose up from prayer, and had come to His disciples, He found them sleeping from sorrow.
46 Then He said to them, “Why do you sleep? Rise and pray, lest you enter into temptation.”
The Daily Dose 