In Gethsemane
I sat alone one evening some solace for to find,
I left the sadness and the shouting of my troubles far behind.
To seek a promised Saviour, to beg him for His rest.
To learn how he could help me in this trying mortal test.
Then He sat down beside me, He had understanding eyes.
He was silent for a moment, and listened to my cries.
“I carried the whole world. I felt it heavily.
I became the Saviour there, in Gethsemane.
The pain borne was distinct though, not blended all in one.
I’ll feel the things you feel, until your battle’s done.”
He must have sensed my doubting - how could this be so?
With countless souls to save, how could he really know?
To answer silent questions, He spoke about my life,
And brought into that quiet space all the hurt and strife.
“The day that criticism just cut you to the core
The times you feel too anxious to leave your own front door.”
He took my hand in His and held it tenderly.
“I became your Saviour, then, in Gethsemane.
I felt the words they said to you, I know they left their mark.
I’ve cried with you the nights that you were frightened of the dark.
The weight of that decision that presses on your mind,
The longing in your lonely heart to find a friend who’s kind.
I went there late that night, for you especially.
I went to be your Saviour, in Gethsemane.
The disappointment when your dreams just slip away in time -
The moments that you realised ‘that never will be mine’.
The pain of too much noise or change for your autistic son
And the punches you’ve withstood when he became undone”
His arm came around me wincing at the memory.
“I became your Saviour there, in Gethsemane
The ache of losing Grandad, of Grandma being frail,
Your poorly child awaiting tests, the worry if they fail.
The emptiness of longing, cold anger at deceit,
Heartache at the fallen world and those who lie and cheat.
Humiliation at abuse and all that is unfair -
I visited that garden so that I could share.
I felt the betrayal from the one who loved you most,
And the weight of that mistake that still haunts you like a ghost.”
He closed his eyes for a moment, reliving it with me.
“I want to be your Saviour in Gethsemane.
For there I came to know you, felt the weight of all your grief,
Knew how it felt to be you, reach your soul and bring relief.
So that when you sit alone at night, I might be here beside you,
Because I’ve walked your path of life, I’m always here to guide you -
To weep with you when you weep, to heal your broken heart
When you let me walk beside you, we will never be apart.
I carried you that night so I could keep you close to me,
I will always be your Saviour, in Gethsemane.
Please. Let me be your Saviour, in Gethsemane.”