“They were very sad and began to say to him one after the other, “Surely you don’t mean me, Lord?”

“Peter replied, “Even if all fall away on account of you, I never will.”

“But Peter declared, “Even if I have to die with you, I will never disown you.” And all the other disciples said the same.”
Matthew 26:22, 33, 35 NIV

Our heart of good intention is a beautiful thing. Our supposition that we will have the strength to carry through, that we will behave properly, make the right choices, use wisdom, and come out on the other side utterly victorious is a beautiful thing, if a bit naive. We want the best from ourselves. We expect that we can do what it is we set out to do, and we thoroughly convince ourselves that it is indeed possible.

But as we continue forward, as we take our first misstep, telling ourselves it will be the last, and being shocked as more and more occur, we find ourselves becoming increasingly disappointed with…ourselves. Frustration builds, we begin trimming back our grandiose plans and expectations and our hearts seem to dwell in between embarrassment and resignation.

We find ourselves silently looking heavenward and apologizing for failing yet again. Our hearts were willing, but we were indeed weak in our flesh. Intentions weren’t going to propel us to success. Plans weren’t going to guarantee success, and we found that our best efforts fell well short of our oversized goals.

But we promised! We said we would stand firm! We gave Him our word!

And sorrow draws near bringing his dark friends, doubt and dispair.
We should never have promised so much, we tell ourselves.

But Jesus warned us as we sat around the table that this was going to happen. ‘How did He know me so well?’ we ask ourselves. And then it hits us, we’ve been relying on ourselves an awful lot…wow…A LOT, a lot. Our spirit was willing, yes. But when we rely on our own plans and strength, our own wisdom and will…and life happens? All our good intentions don’t buy us an inch of ground.

“With that, one of Jesus’ companions reached for his sword, drew it out and struck the servant of the high priest, cutting off his ear.” (Matthew 26:51 NIV)

And so we may try for one last burst of effort to cover our shortcomings, but Jesus still stands there. He is shackled, already being mocked and hit. And we see that He is the strong One, He is the One whose spirit and flesh were both able to carry through. And as we watch Him walking away with His so-called captors, He is still in control. The plan of the Father is being carried out, and His intentions cannot and will not fall short.

He is strength. His will does not falter. His plans are secure.
He will carry out His task to perfect completion, and He will do it all in love.
He prayed that we would be in Him as a He is in the Father, and this is how it must be done. He is our only real hope in life, because so often, and in every way imaginable, we are so small, so weak, so frail.

Thank-You, Jesus for being our strength.
Thank-You, Jesus for being our will.
Thank-You, Jesus for being our direction.

Let us walk today as You have taught us, in the Spirit and in Your truth.
Steady our steps, give us faith to take the next ones, and may you be glorified in every moment that we draw breath.