Awaken The Dawn

Drinking the Awesome Cup

travail in birthing a child. Prayer warriors throughout the centuries have known and understood this kind of prayer as “soul travail.” Although emotionally distraught, Jesus nevertheless employs the loving title, “Father.” Matthew records “O My Father,” and Luke simply writes “Father.” Mark, however, notes the significant “Abba! Father!” 3 Certainly no Jewish rabbi would use such a term in common prayer, let alone at such a serious time. It was considered too personal, too intimate, too familiar, inappropriate and forward. To say “Abba” to God was (in their teaching) to reduce God down to a common, conversational level, and the Jewish leaders of that day deemed it an impossibility. For Jesus, using “Abba!” in this prayer was the condi- tioned response of someone who knew God personally, intimately; so calling out to Him with such familiarity was an expression of the truest and most sincere under- standing of His Father. The Second Prayer: An Angel Appears When Jesus returned to his disciples, He admonished them (particularly Peter) to be wary of temptation (or, a trial that would cause them to discredit the Lord). This is the same call for caution in The Lord’s Prayer, and we see it now as it characterizes Jesus’ life-principle. Discouraged, Jesus steps away from the disciples, about a stone’s throw away. There, in the dark of the garden, He falls to His knees in anguish, once again imploring the Father to reconsider His will for His Son. Is it possible to carry out His will without drinking from the awesome

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