What does our Saviour teach us by His example? When His hour was come, He resorted to prayer. "These words spake Jesus, and lifted up his eyes to heaven, and said, Father, the hour is come; glorify thy Son, that thy Son also may glorify thee, JOH 17:1.

The only true deliverance from sorrow is to meet it with confidence in our tender heavenly Father’s care. His name "Father" commands patience and reverence for His authority, as well as faith in His love and care.

As we approach our own departure from this life we cannot pray for deliverance, but we may pray for the pain to be relieved. Our Saviour said, "…pray ye that your flight be not in the winter, neither on the sabbath day," MAT 24:20.

Christ knew His hour was come, yet He made no attempt to escape the hour of death. When the soldiers came to take Him "…one of them which were with Jesus stretched out his hand, and drew his sword, and struck a servant of the high priest's, and smote off his ear. Then said Jesus unto him, Put up again thy sword into his place: for all they that take the sword shall perish with the sword. Thinkest thou that I cannot now pray to my Father, and he shall presently give me more than twelve legions of angels? But how then shall the scriptures be fulfilled, that thus it must be?" MAT 26:51-54.

Our Saviour did not flinch from His Father’s appointed hour. He did not come as a swine with much noise and resistance, but as "the Lamb of God which taketh away the sin of the world," JOH 1:29. ISA 53:7 prophesied, "He was oppressed, and he was afflicted, yet he opened not his mouth: he is brought as a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before her shearers is dumb, so he openeth not his mouth."

Outside the perfect obedience of Christ being imputed to us, we must suffer eternally! In our fallen state we are not able to render perfect obedience to God’s holy and righteous demands under the law. Therefore, our violations against God’s law keep on compounding!

Because Christ was able to first satisfy the law with perfect obedience, His suffering was not eternal. It was over very quickly, it is compared to an hour wherein "…he by the grace of God should taste death for every man," HEB 2:9.

Following His example, and through the consolation we have in our Saviour’s imputed righteousness (His imputed obedience), all true believers can say with the Apostle Paul in 2CO 4:17-18. "For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, worketh for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory; While we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen: for the things which are seen are temporal; but the things which are not seen are eternal."

The true believer must wait but a short while and all his fears and anxieties will be dissolved into eternal glory. See the history recorded of the monuments of faith in HEB 11:32-34, "And what shall I more say? for the time would fail me to tell of Gedeon, and of Barak, and of Samson, and of Jephthae; of David also, and Samuel, and of the prophets: Who through faith subdued kingdoms, wrought righteousness, obtained promises, stopped the mouths of lions. Quenched the violence of fire, escaped the edge of the sword, out of weakness were made strong, waxed valiant in fight, turned to flight the armies of the aliens."

These martyrs found their suffering to be but a moment, for the joy that was set before them. Our Lord had such a blessed way of illustrating this in JOH 16:21. "A woman when she is in travail hath sorrow, because her hour is come: but as soon as she is delivered of the child, she remembereth no more the anguish, for joy that a man is born into the world."

When we get caught into walking by sight instead of faith, we measure time with human reasoning, as men who are in pain count minutes like hours. Our consolation is our Saviour’s example.

By faith, the time between Christ’s ascension, and His return for our resurrection, is likened unto the time between His death and resurrection. In JOH 16:16 "Jesus said, A little while, and ye shall not see me: and again, a little while, and ye shall see me, because I go to the Father." Amen.

WHEREVER HE LEADS I’LL GO

"Take up thy cross and follow Me, " I heard my Master say;
"I gave My life to ransom thee, Surrender your all today."

He drew me closer to His side, I sought His will to know,
And in that will I now abide, Wherever He leads I’ll go.

It may be through the shadows dim, Or o’er the stormy sea,
I take my cross and follow Him, Wherever He leadeth me.

My heart, my life, my all I bring To Christ who loves me so;
He is my Master, Lord, and King, Wherever He leads I’ll go.