📧 In today’s email..

• 📕 Today’s reading

• 🙏 The SOAP Devotional of the day

📕 TODAY’S READING
Isaiah 7-10; Ps 22; Matt 26

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🙏 SOAP DEVOTIONAL
SOAP: scripture, observation, application, prayer

For each day of Bible reading, we do a SOAP devotional to go deeper into the word of God. We always provide an example SOAP from one of our authors, but we highly encourage you to do your own SOAP with today’s reading. God wants to speak to you personally, and will highlight a passage of today’s reading that’s just for you.

Here’s how it works:

S – SCRIPTURE
Physically write out the Bible verse
You’ll be amazed at what God will reveal to you when you
slow down to write or meditate on what you are reading!

O – OBSERVATION
What do you see in the verses you’re reading?
Who is the audience? Is there a repetition of words? What words stand out to you? What is the main lesson or theme?

A – APPLICATION
When God’s Word becomes personal
What is God saying to me today? How can I apply what I just read to my life? Are there any changes I need to make?

P – PRAYER
Pray God’s Word back to Him
If He has revealed something to you during this time in His
Word, pray about it. Confess if He has revealed some sin that is in your life. Take time to thank Him for His goodness in your life.

Today’s SOAP Devotional - By Colby F. Maier

S - SCRIPTURE: Matthew 26:39 (NIV)

"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.’”

O - OBSERVATION:

It’s in the Garden of Gethsemane where we witness Jesus, the Son of God, wrestling with the weight of the world. He’s facing down the cross and the unimaginable suffering and death that await Him. In this moment of great anguish, we see not only His intense emotion but also His raw honesty in prayer: “My Father, if it is possible, may this cup be taken from me.”

Consider the significance of this: Jesus, both fully God and fully man, is expressing His natural desire to avoid the excruciating pain that lies ahead on the cross. But then He utters those earth-shattering words: “Yet not as I will, but as you will.”

This isn’t just a casual surrender; it’s a seismic shift, a cosmic pivot point. Jesus, the Second Adam, is facing a choice that mirrors the one made by the first Adam in a different garden—the Garden of Eden. Unlike the first Adam, Jesus chooses to obey the Father, despite the cost, and in doing so, He would reverse the curse brought about by the first Adam’s disobedience, and bring forward humanity’s redemption.

A - APPLICATION:

Make intentional choices every day to align your will with God’s. Start by pausing in moments of decision—whether big or small—and asking, "Is this what God wants, or just what I want?" Practice submitting your desires to Him by praying, “Father, Not my will, but Yours,” especially when it’s hard. When fear or anxiety creep in, talk to God about it honestly, and then take one step forward in bold faith, trusting that God’s plan is for your good, even if you don’t see it yet. This might look like choosing integrity at work, even when it costs you, or sticking to what you know is right, even if it’s unpopular.

P - PRAYER:

Dear Father, I thank You for the example of Jesus, who in the midst of overwhelming anguish, chose obedience and surrendered fully to Your will. Teach me to follow His way, letting go of my own desires and trusting in Your wisdom. In times of challenge, give me the grace to trust in Your sovereignty, even when it's beyond the scope of my understanding. Thank You for the redemption through Christ, the Second Adam, who reversed the curse and opened the way to life. May my life reflect His obedience, courage, and love. In Jesus’ name, Amen.