Deep Dive 4

Then cometh Jesus with them unto a place called Gethsemane, and saith unto the disciples, Sit ye here, while I go and pray yonder. And he took with him Peter and the two sons of Zebedee, and began to be sorrowful and very heavy. Then saith he unto them, My soul is exceeding sorrowful, even unto death: tarry ye here, and watch with me. And he went a little further, and fell on his face, and prayed, saying, O my Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me: nevertheless not as I will, but as thou wilt. And he cometh unto the disciples, and findeth them asleep, and saith unto Peter, What, could ye not watch with me one hour? Watch and pray, that ye enter not into temptation: the spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak. He went away again the second time, and prayed, saying, O my Father, if this cup may not pass away from me, except I drink it, thy will be done. And he came and found them asleep again: for their eyes were heavy. And he left them, and went away again, and prayed the third time, saying the same words. Then cometh he to his disciples, and saith unto them, Sleep on now, and take your rest: behold, the hour is at hand, and the Son of man is betrayed into the hands of sinners. Rise, let us be going: behold, he is at hand that doth betray me. (Matthew 26:36-46 KJV)

Have you ever been in a situation where you really needed to talk to a good friend and they said they'd call you back, but never did? Have you ever waited for a reply to a post or text that never came? It's the worst feeling. Something in each of us longs to be comforted by others when we're going through difficult times.

In the most difficult period in Jesus' life, he called his closest friends to be around him - to stay up with him through the night as he prayed. But they fell asleep. He must have been so hurt, so disappointed.

It's easy to say, "How could they?" when we're not "they." But each of us has probably dropped the ball at some point when a friend really needed us. We may have offered some sort of excuse. But the truth is, when people aren't there when we need them, it hurts whether they have a good excuse or not. What are some ways that you can make sure you're there for others when they need you? God has given us church as a place of safety and refuge. But if we're not there, we may be missing out on "being there" for someone who's hurting. Do you have a small group or place of worship that you can commit to attending on a regular basis? Just think of all of the opportunities to make a difference in the lives of others, just by being there.