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Matthew 26:36-46
Then Jesus went with his disciples to a place called Gethsemane, and he said to them, “Sit here while I go over there and pray.” 37 He took Peter and the two sons of Zebedee along with him, and he began to be sorrowful and troubled. 38 Then he said to them, “My soul is overwhelmed with sorrow to the point of death. Stay here and keep watch with me.” 39 Going a little farther, he fell with his face to the ground and prayed, “My Father, if it is possible, may this cup be taken from me. Yet not as I will, but as you will.” 40 Then he returned to his disciples and found them sleeping. “Could you men not keep watch with me for one hour?” he asked Peter. 41 “Watch and pray so that you will not fall into temptation. The spirit is willing, but the body is weak.” 42 He went away a second time and prayed, “My Father, if it is not possible for this cup to be taken away unless I drink it, may your will be done.” 43 When he came back, he again found them sleeping, because their eyes were heavy. 44 So he left them and went away once more and prayed the third time, saying the same thing. 45 Then he returned to the disciples and said to them, “Are you still sleeping and resting? Look, the hour is near, and the Son of Man is betrayed into the hands of sinners. 46 Rise, let us go! Here comes my betrayer!”
Additional Scripture References: Isaiah 51:17, Psalm 75:8, Luke 22:43, John 16:33
When you experience difficulty, what is your response? Do you call a friend, go for a walk, avoid the situation, get angry, cry? When crisis hits, we all react in different ways. Many of us find our minds running wild, anxious thoughts fighting to be the loudest in the room. For others of us, we aim to take control, finding some level of order in the chaos. It’s in our lowest moments that we find God is the only one who can truly calm us. As we study the response of Jesus in the garden, in the midst of his most difficult trial, we can learn practical patterns to persevere.
It’s not always the thing, more often or not it’s how we think about the thing.
In a moment of crisis, Jesus gives his disciples a command — watch & pray. Many of us are asleep to the tactics of the enemy. He’s waging war in our minds. Robbing us of peace. Causing us to mismanage our blessings. Stealing our everyday joy. We must protect the abundant life that Jesus promised us by guarding our hearts. Praying is offense. Watching is defense. Together, these two disciplines give us the strength to fight anxiety and pressure with both hands.
Matthew 26:40 -41
Then he returned to his disciples and found them sleeping. “Could you men not keep watch with me for one hour?” he asked Peter. 41 “Watch and pray so that you will not fall into temptation. The spirit is willing, but the body is weak.”
As believers, prayer is one of the strongest weapons we have in the midst of crisis. In the garden, we see Jesus’ response to pressure is prayer. If Jesus prayed, so can we! As we study his words to the Father we see that his prayers were both honest and obedient.
Matthew 26:39
“My Father, if it is possible, may this cup be taken from me. Yet not as I will, but as you will.”
Matthew 26:42
He went away a second time and prayed, “My Father, if it is not possible for this cup to be taken away unless I drink it, may your will be done.”
In the garden we find a picture of persistence — Jesus prayed not once, but three times. He prayed for God’s will to be done. Jesus is the lamb of God who was slain since the foundations of the universe. He knew why he was coming to earth. Jesus knew what his mission was. Yet, in these final moments, he had a choice to make — fulfill the calling or quit. You and I have a choice to make, in our darkest hour, will we run to Jesus? He is with us, even in the crisis. When we face difficulty, we can find peace in knowing God goes before us, he paves a trail through our trials and gives us peace in the pressure.
Develop a prayer discipline. Set aside time this week to pray with God. Your preparation matters! Whether for 3 minutes or 30, prepare to pray and commit to following through.
All of you that are already in our database will receive a text this upcoming Thursday from our new text platform. It isn’t spam, it’s really us! This will become a primary way for us to resource, equip, and update you. We encourage you to save this number and opt in for more updates.
VOUS High is youth community of VOUS and we are creating a space for middle schoolers to gather for service every Sunday.
Students will start with worship in the main auditorium and then be dismissed to their junior high space. This will be a moment to connect with other students, hear a message, and then discuss in small groups.
For more information and to RSVP your student, click here
Join us at the annual ILMC Thanksgiving Bash to distribute meal kits and turkeys. Also, bring a chair and cheer on your favorite team at our annual VOUS Bowl.
To serve, click here
Date: Saturday, November 23rd
Time: 9:00AM - 12:30PM
Location: Charles Hadley Park
1350 NW 50th St
Miami, FL 33142
Ready to kick off Thanksgiving with a burst of energy and community? Join us bright and early at Peacock Park for the VOUS 10K Turkey Trot! Whether you're a runner, a walker, or somewhere in between, this is a chance to start your day with some fresh air, great friends, and all-around fun! See you at the starting line!
To sign up for the Turkey Trot, click here
Date: Thursday, November 28th
Time: 6:00AM
Location: Peacock Park
2820 McFarlane Rd.
Miami, FL 33133
On Sunday, December 1st we're bringing our annual Tree Lighting tradition to both our SoMi and Miami Gardens Locations! Sign up to serve and join us for a night of fun! Invite your friends and let's welcome the Christmas season together!
Please note: There will not be a 6PM service at VOUS City. Instead, join us at VOUS Miami Gardens for the 6PM service, followed by the tree lighting celebration.
Date: December 1st
Time: 7:30PM
Location:
VOUS Miami Gardens
17801 NW 2nd Ave
Miami, FL 33169
VOUS SoMi
6767 Sunset Dr
South Miami, FL 33143
To serve, click here
VOUS SoMi
8:45AM / 10:30AM / 12:30PM / 6PM
VOUS City
10:30AM / 12:30PM / 6PM
VOUS Miami Gardens
10:30AM / 12:30PM
VOUS Design District
10:30AM / 12:30PM
Church Online
10AM / 5PM Español
Growth Track
After every service or join online at vouschurch.com/growthtrack
