Sorrowful and Troubled

Have you ever felt sorrow? A state of deep distress? Maybe you have felt disappointment or discouragement? 

I would be willing to be there is not a single person reading this that could deny having felt deep emotions of sorrow in their life. 

Even Jesus Christ himself was no stranger to these emotions.

“And taking with Him (Jesus) Peter and the two sons of Zebedee, He (Jesus) began to be sorrowful and troubled.”Mathew 26:37 parenthesis added.

Jesus is in the Garden of Gethsemane prior to being handed over to be crucified. He has taken some of His closest companions with Him into the garden and tells them of His deep sorrow and state of trouble. 

So far we can relate quite well with Jesus. 

We too know what it is like to be downcast and distressed. We know what it is like to bring our closest friends into this grief with us. 

But the lesson we can learn from all of this, is how Jesus responds to His personal state of sorrow. 

If you keep reading, verse 39 of the same chapter states, “and going a little father he fell on his face and prayed…”.

Let me ask you a serious question. 

What do you most often do when your heart is in anguish? 

How do you most respond when you feel deep sorrow? 

A common answer, although we wont love to admit it, is that we chase a quick dopamine hit. We chase instant satisfaction or gratification to counter our feelings of sorrow that we don’t want to welcome. 

What we should do, however, is mirror that of Jesus in verse 39. We should fall face first on the ground, we should take a posture of humility and brokenness, and we should cast our burdens on the Lord. 

Jesus was no stranger to suffering. 

And neither was King David. 

In Psalm 55, we read of David presenting the pleas of His heart to God because of a betrayal in his life. David tells us throughout chapter 55 of the deep hurt in his heart. He says, 

“I am restless in my complaint, and I moan because the noise of my enemy” vs 2

“My heart is in anguish with me” vs 4

“Fear and trembling come upon me” vs 5

Obviously, David is going through it. 

And perhaps you feel as though you can relate to David right now. Maybe you feel like you can’t even get out of bed because the burden is too much. Perhaps you feel so afraid that you are frozen in time. 

If this is you, you are not alone. 

Our heroes of the faith we read of in Scripture have felt the same as you. But it is in scripture that we see how we are to respond. 

How does King David end chapter 55? 

“But I call to God, and the Lord will save me.” vs 16

“He redeems my soul in safety from the battle that I wage” vs 18

“cast your burden on the Lord, and He will sustain you.” Vs 22

In your greatest hurt, in your deep sorrow, turn to the Lord. Cast your burdens on him. He will sustain you! 

Looking back at Mathew 26:39, the Son of God Himself showed for us the only way to properly respond in times of trouble. 

Jesus fell on His face and prayed. David cried out to God to sustain Him. 

We should do the same. 

The difficult thing in your life….the struggle you are going through…you cant carry it alone. Give it to Jesus.