The song, “My Way”, was popularized by Frank Sinatra in 1969. The lyrics of the song most often remembered are, ‘I did it my way.‘ ‘I did it my way’ is the way of the world. It is not the way of Jesus.

The way of Jesus is to say to God, ‘not my way, but your way.' Jesus not only taught us to pray ‘your will be done,’ but He also prayed it himself. In Matthew 26 Jesus prayed to his Father in the Garden of Gethsemane prior to his betrayal and arrest. In v.39, He prays, ‘O my Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me: nevertheless, not as I will, but as thou wilt.’ And in v.42 He prayed a second time saying, ‘O my Father, if this cup may not pass away from me, except I drink it, thy will be done.’ These are not prayers of resignation, but prayers of great courage – being willing to follow God’s ways no matter what. There is a noteworthy contrast between what took place in the Garden of Gethsemane and in the Garden of Eden. The essence of the response of Adam and Eve to God in the first garden was, ‘not your way, but mine’. In the second garden Jesus’ prayer to the Father was ‘not my way, but yours’.

In Matthew 26:37 we see Jesus’ humanity in that He began to be sorrowful and very heavy. For him, the burden was beyond anything we face. He took the sins of the whole world on his shoulders. Doing it ‘God’s way’ meant suffering and death which brought redemption to all mankind. When we are depressed, overwhelmed with sorrow, or in the middle of tough times, we can be encouraged to know that Jesus has faced far more than we will ever experience. Meditate on how much God loves you.

In vs.22-24 of Psalms 31, the writer tells us that God hears our voice when we cry out and, by showing courage, He will strengthen our heart. We can be comforted that He knows what we are going through and confidently follow his example by submitting our ways to God Almighty. God’s way may not be easy, but there is great joy and excitement in following his way.