Embracing the Cross
Today’s Verses:
From Luke 22:42 ESV
(Jesus said) “Father, if You are willing, remove this cup from Me. Nevertheless, not My will, but Yours, be done.”
At Gethsemane, Jesus prays a brutally honest prayer. He does not spare his anguish. He pleads with the Father—if there is another way, take this cup away from me. But then He does what we struggle to do. He surrenders. “Not My will, but Yours.”
That is the heart of the cross— not only acknowledging the suffering of Jesus, but following Him in obedient trust when it costs us. Lutheran theology is not euphemistic about this. It calls it what it is—the theology of the cross.
God does not meet us in glory, but in suffering, not in strength, but in weakness. And it is there—in the dying to self—that life begins. This is not masochism. It is not a quest for pain. It is not an attempt to earn grace. It is trusting the Father when He says the cross leads to resurrection.
Jesus took up His cross first. Ours comes after His. It will not save us—but it will shape us. So today, whatever your cross looks like—grief, disappointment, rejection, or sacrifice—do not carry it alone. Jesus has already gone before you. And because He said “Your will be done” in the garden, you can say it too.
Prayers
A Prayer for Today:
Lord Jesus, thank You for not turning away from the cross. Teach me to trust the Father’s will like You did. When I face hardship or loss, remind me You are with me and ahead of me. Give me the courage to say, “Not my will, but Yours.” Amen.
Apostles’ Creed:
I believe in God, the Father Almighty, maker of heaven and earth.
And in Jesus Christ, His only Son, our Lord, who was conceived by the Holy Spirit, born of the virgin Mary, suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died and was buried. He descended into hell. The third day He rose again from the dead. He ascended into heaven and sits at the right hand of God the Father Almighty. From thence He will come to judge the living and the dead.
I believe in the Holy Spirit, the holy Christian Church, the communion of saints, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body, and the life everlasting. Amen.
The Lord’s Prayer:
Our Father who art in heaven, hallowed be Thy name, Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven; give us this day our daily bread; and forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us; and lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. For Thine is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever and ever. Amen.
Luther’s Morning Prayer:
I thank You, my heavenly Father, through Jesus Christ, Your dear Son, that You have kept me this night from all harm and danger; and I pray that You would keep me this day also from sin and every evil, that all my doings and life may please You. For into Your hands, I commend myself, my body and soul, and all things. Let Your holy angel be with me, that the evil foe may have no power over me. Amen.
The photo above was licensed through Unsplash+