Matthew 26:39 – Going a little farther, he fell with his face to the ground and prayed, "My Father, if it is possible, may this cup be taken from me. Yet not as I will, but as you will." (NIV)

One sport that I enjoy watching is NASCAR stock car racing. Some may find it boring watching cars running in a circle, but I like it. While the drivers are the high-profile people of the sport, I am always reminded of the work the crew chief does. He is the man who oversees the building of the car and then directs the team on race day. One very important job of the crew chief during a race is to calculate gas mileage. He must know when the car has to come into the pits for fuel. While the driver is out on the track he is controlling the car, but if he were to choose to ignore the crew chief's call to come into the pits for fuel, he would end up running out of gas and not be able to complete the race. So if the driver wants to continue, he must submit to the crew chief's will to refuel the car.

We as Christians must also submit to another's will. In today's scripture, we see Jesus, who was struggling, but who knew that it was not his will that was to be done but his Father's will. We as the children of God must also remember that it is not our will that is to be done but it is the will of our heavenly Father that is to be done. Our will is not the driving force behind the Christian community; rather, it is God's. In our times of trouble, we need to be willing to submit to the will of God. Better yet, when things are going very well for us, we need to remember that we are to do God's will. If we try to do our will and ignore God, we will end up like the race car driver who does not listen to his crew chief to come in for fuel. We will end up running out of gas and really going nowhere.

Prayer: Lord, may we never forget that it is your will which is to be done and not our own. May we submit ourselves totally to you, and do your work, so that you may be glorified. Amen.

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