Have you ever wondered who was the toughest person that ever lived? Well, it had to have been Jesus, not just because he endured tremendous torture and ridicule at the hands of the Romans and his own people, but there is that gospel account where Christ fasts for 40 days and nights without food and then faces Satan in the desert, so that he may be tempted.
Wow, he had to be tough! Can you imagine going 40 days without food? I cant!. Yet even though Christ had the mental resolve to endure all the terrible trials he faced, he could not do it all on his own. He constantly prayed to God for the guidance and strength to stay the course and ultimately to die for our sins.
But why, if Jesus was so tough, didnt he do anything on his own? Why didnt he turn stones into bread when Satan mocked him? Surely turning stones into bread had to be easier than turning water into wine?
Jesus gives us the answer in John 6:38 For I have come down from heaven not to do my will but to do the will of him who sent me. And it was Gods will that he should suffer and die.
You see, Jesus was about his Fathers business. He knew he was on a mission to save humanity, a very important mission that could not fail, or else we all a be doomed to die. He knew he had to stay on course, and to get the spiritual guidance and nourishment that he needed, he prayed often.
Jesus was a tough guy, not just because he was God in the flesh, but because he kept close to God.
For many of us who go through really tough times in our lives, we sometimes feel like we are a burden to God when we pray to him. We feel as if all we do is keep on asking for his help, and perhaps we should just do it on our own, and tough it out, because that is what tough people do. Well the truth is that Jesus, who was the toughest man alive, could not and did not do it without God.
So the next time when you feel life is getting too much, go on your knees and talk to your Father, he will guide you and sustain you. When the going gets tough we all should get praying.