“…shall I not drink the cup that the Father has given me?” John 18:11 

Would you willingly drink out of a cup that you knew had poison in it? Your first response would be, “Well, that’s a stupid question. No.” But that’s exactly what Jesus did. He willingly went to the cross and “drank the cup” of death that was given to him.

His human side did not want to go through it because He knew what was coming. He asked God for it to be taken away (Matthew 26:39). It wasn’t, and Jesus followed through. And it was not a peaceful death. It was horrific and painful. Yet He did it. For you. For me. Because of His love for us.

We can have hope during difficult times because of Jesus, and we can be encouraged by His Word. Everything that was written in the past was written to teach us so that through the endurance taught in the Scriptures and the encouragement they provide, we might have hope. Rom 15:4 

You may have been given a difficult “cup” to drink, but you are not alone. You may be experiencing a difficult time, or you may even be experiencing persecution because of your faith, but God is with You. He did not leave Jesus alone but ministered to him, and He will not leave you alone. He will never leave or forsake you. Deut. 31:6.

Everything that comes into our life has to pass through the hands of almighty God. And our response should be that of Jesus – to be willing to drink from the “cup” that has been given to us – because of our love for Him.

From ministry friend Pam Rehbein.