Jesus' purpose in praying a third time using the same words was not to show failure, but to teach us to seek the Lord and present our petitions to Him. This is what the widow did when she persistently went to the unjust judge asking for justice. One day, he could no longer hear her cry, so he said he would do her justice just so that she would not bother him anymore (Luke 18:1-8)

         If we begin to pray to receive something and are not answered immediately, we learn to cry out in a way that pleases the Father. It is not easy to need something, pray and not receive an answer right away. Could it be that the Lord is not hearing us or doesn’t want to bless us at that moment? It may be that our faith is smaller than our problem.

         On that day in Gethsemane, when Jesus prayed and accepted the divine will, He showed that the plan laid out by the Father must always be followed, for He does not change what He has planned. Although the Son prayed, the Father did not want to take away even the smallest part of His Word (Matthew 5:18). It would be good for us to read it more, to learn about God’s will and grow in faith. The Lord knows that our understanding is limited and that we tremble when faced with difficult situations. Seek to obtain more faith!

         One thing is certain: if we have little faith and our problem is great, we will not be heard. However, if, during our persistent prayer, our faith grows, the blessing will be obtained by force (Matthew 11:12). The silence from Heaven means that we still have to persist in our cry and have much to learn. If God does not say anything about what we ask Him, we must examine how we are serving Him. After all, Jesus made us kings and priests to His Father (Revelation 5:10).

         In Gethsemane, the disciples were sleepy and just wanted to sleep, so Jesus momentarily let them rest and went on His way to fulfill His obligation. Now, God will not do what we are supposed to do. For example, if someone refuses to eat, the Father will not force them to eat. The same will happen to someone who picks up a gun and robs someone. The Lord will touch their heart not to do so, but if they insist, they will bear the consequences of their actions.

         God shows us that even though His Son used the same words as in the previous prayer, He would not change the Father’s will. Two things are made clear here: first, there was a good reason for Jesus to insist on His request; second, the Father only does what He has planned, for He is perfect in everything. There was no other way to redeem us without Christ’s obedience, and He chose to be obedient to the point of death, even the death of the cross. (Philippians 2.8). Be faithful to the Scriptures. God is faithful!

         When we come to God with faith and follow the Word, we are answered within the plan laid out since the foundation of the world. The Bible says: For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them (Ephesians 2.10). The Lord accomplishes what He has established for our eternal joy!

In Christ, with love,

R. R. Soares