Finding God’s Presence in Our Darkest Moments
Summary
Imagine being trapped in utter darkness, uncertain if rescue will ever come. This was the reality for the Chilean miners in 2010, and it’s a powerful image for the moments in life when we feel overwhelmed, pressed, and alone. Yet, just as those miners testified to God’s presence with them in the depths, so too does Scripture reveal a God who is near, especially in our darkest hours. The Garden of Gethsemane, at the foot of the Mount of Olives, becomes a profound place to witness this nearness. Here, Jesus, fully aware of the suffering and betrayal awaiting Him, does not run from the agony but instead runs to His Father in honest, vulnerable prayer.
Gethsemane, meaning “oil press,” is fitting, for Jesus is pressed from every side—emotionally, spiritually, physically. He prays, “Father, if you are willing, take this cup from me; yet not my will, but yours be done.” In this moment, Jesus models what it means to trust God amid fear and uncertainty. He does not receive an escape from suffering, but He is not left alone. God sends an angel to strengthen Him—not to remove the pain, but to provide the endurance needed to face it. This is often how God meets us: not by erasing our struggles, but by giving us the grace and strength to persevere.
The place of crushing becomes the place of surrender. Jesus chooses obedience and love, carrying the weight of our sin so that nothing can separate us from God’s love. Our own “Gethsemane moments” may not look like Jesus’, but we all know what it is to be overwhelmed, anxious, or grieving. In these times, God’s presence is not always what we expect, but it is always what we need. His ways are higher than ours, and though we may not understand, He gives us His Spirit, peace, and hope.
Paul’s words in Philippians remind us that knowing Christ—especially in suffering—is of surpassing worth. It is in the pain and struggle that we come to know Christ more deeply, not just about Him. These moments, though they may not feel victorious, are often where our faith takes root and our trust in God grows. Whether on the mountaintop or in the garden, God is near—Emmanuel, God with us.
Key Takeaways
- God’s nearness is most profound in our darkest moments. Like the miners in the depths and Jesus in Gethsemane, we are never truly alone, even when we cannot sense His presence. God enters into our suffering, not as a distant observer, but as the One who is with us in the darkness, offering hope and companionship. [03:58]
- Honest prayer is not a sign of weak faith but of deep trust. Jesus’ vulnerable plea in the garden—asking if the cup might pass—shows that bringing our fears and desires to God is not only permitted but encouraged. True faith is found in running to God with our pain, not away from it. [05:23]
- God often gives strength, not escape. The angel who comes to Jesus does not remove the suffering but strengthens Him to endure it. In our own trials, God may not change our circumstances, but He provides the grace and endurance we need for each step, teaching us to rely on His sufficiency. [06:52]
- Surrender in suffering is the soil of transformation. Jesus’ choice to stay, to surrender to the Father’s will, becomes the beginning of redemption. Our own moments of pressing and pain can become places where faith deepens, trust is forged, and God’s love is experienced in new ways. [07:42]
- Knowing Christ is often deepened through suffering. Paul’s longing to share in Christ’s sufferings reveals that pain can be a sacred place of encounter. It is in the struggle that we move from knowing about Christ to truly knowing Him, experiencing His presence, comfort, and resurrection power in ways that shape our hearts and anchor our hope. [14:33]
Youtube Chapters
[00:00] - Welcome
[00:38] - The Chilean Miners: Darkness and Hope
[02:00] - The God Who is Near in Our Darkest Places
[03:10] - The Garden of Gethsemane: A Place of Pressing
[04:20] - Jesus’ Honest Prayer and Human Struggle
[05:23] - Trusting God in the Face of Fear
[06:52] - God’s Strength in Suffering
[07:42] - Surrender and the Beginning of Redemption
[09:45] - Our Own Gethsemane Moments
[11:39] - God’s Ways Are Higher
[12:54] - The Surpassing Worth of Knowing Christ
[14:33] - Suffering as Sacred Encounter
[15:50] - Faith Taking Root in the Garden
[16:30] - God With Us: Emmanuel
Study Guide
Bible Study Discussion Guide: God’s Nearness in Our Gethsemane Moments
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### Bible Reading
Luke 22:39-46 (ESV)
> And he came out and went, as was his custom, to the Mount of Olives, and the disciples followed him. And when he came to the place, he said to them, “Pray that you may not enter into temptation.” And he withdrew from them about a stone’s throw, and knelt down and prayed, saying, “Father, if you are willing, remove this cup from me. Nevertheless, not my will, but yours, be done.” And there appeared to him an angel from heaven, strengthening him. And being in agony he prayed more earnestly; and his sweat became like great drops of blood falling down to the ground. And when he rose from prayer, he came to the disciples and found them sleeping for sorrow, and he said to them, “Why are you sleeping? Rise and pray that you may not enter into temptation.”
Philippians 3:7-11 (ESV)
> But whatever gain I had, I counted as loss for the sake of Christ. Indeed, I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have suffered the loss of all things and count them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which comes through faith in Christ, the righteousness from God that depends on faith— that I may know him and the power of his resurrection, and may share his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, that by any means possible I may attain the resurrection from the dead.
Isaiah 55:8-9 (ESV)
> For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, declares the Lord. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.
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### Observation Questions
1. In Luke 22:39-46, what does Jesus do when He is overwhelmed with sorrow and facing suffering? How does He approach God in prayer?
2. According to the sermon, what does the name “Gethsemane” mean, and why is it significant for understanding what Jesus experienced there? [03:10]
3. In Philippians 3:7-11, what does Paul say is of “surpassing worth,” and how does he describe his desire to know Christ?
4. What does God do for Jesus in the garden—does He remove the suffering, or does He do something else? [06:52]
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### Interpretation Questions
1. Why do you think Jesus prays so honestly and vulnerably in the garden, even asking if the cup might pass from Him? What does this show us about how we can approach God with our own fears and pain? [05:23]
2. The sermon says that God often gives us strength, not escape, in our suffering. What might be the reason God chooses to strengthen us rather than remove our struggles? [06:52]
3. Paul talks about “knowing Christ” through sharing in His sufferings (Philippians 3:10). How might suffering actually deepen someone’s relationship with Jesus, rather than weaken it?
4. Isaiah 55:8-9 says God’s ways are higher than ours. How does this truth help us when we don’t understand why we are going through hard times? [11:39]
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### Application Questions
1. The miners in Chile felt trapped in darkness, but later said God was with them. Have you ever felt “trapped” in a situation where you couldn’t see a way out? Looking back, can you see ways God was present with you, even if you didn’t feel it at the time? [00:38]
2. Jesus prayed honestly about His fears and desires in Gethsemane. Is there something you are afraid to bring to God in prayer right now? What would it look like to pray honestly and vulnerably about it this week? [05:23]
3. The sermon says God often gives us strength to endure, not an escape from our problems. Can you think of a time when God gave you just enough strength or grace to get through a hard season? How did that experience shape your faith? [06:52]
4. Jesus’ surrender in the garden became the beginning of redemption. Is there an area of your life where you feel “pressed” or “crushed” right now? What would it mean to surrender that area to God, trusting Him with the outcome? [07:42]
5. Paul says knowing Christ is worth more than anything else, even if it means suffering. What are some things you tend to value more than knowing Jesus? How might your priorities need to shift in light of Paul’s words? [12:54]
6. The sermon reminds us that God’s presence is not always what we expect, but it is always what we need. When have you experienced God’s presence in an unexpected way? How did it change your perspective or give you hope? [09:45]
7. If you are in a “Gethsemane moment” right now—feeling overwhelmed, anxious, or alone—what is one practical step you can take this week to draw near to God, even if your circumstances don’t change? [15:50]
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Devotional
Day 1: God Is Near in Our Darkest Moments
Even when we feel trapped by pain, uncertainty, or sorrow, God’s presence is with us—He is not absent in our suffering but draws near, offering hope and companionship in the darkest places of our lives. Just as the Chilean miners sensed God with them underground, and as Jesus sought His Father in Gethsemane, we are reminded that we are never alone, no matter how deep the darkness or how heavy the burden. God’s nearness is not always about immediate rescue, but about His faithful presence that sustains us through every trial. [03:58]
Psalm 34:18 (ESV)
The Lord is near to the brokenhearted and saves the crushed in spirit.
Reflection: When have you felt most alone or overwhelmed, and how might you look for signs of God’s presence with you in that place today?
Day 2: Surrendering to God’s Will in the Place of Crushing
In the Garden of Gethsemane, Jesus models honest surrender—He does not hide His anguish but brings it vulnerably to the Father, choosing obedience and trust even when the path ahead is filled with suffering. This place of pressing becomes the place of surrender, where Jesus entrusts Himself to God’s will, opening the door for our salvation and showing us that true victory often begins with surrender in our hardest moments. [07:42]
Luke 22:41-42 (ESV)
And he withdrew from them about a stone’s throw, and knelt down and prayed, saying, “Father, if you are willing, remove this cup from me. Nevertheless, not my will, but yours, be done.”
Reflection: What is one area of your life where you are being “pressed” right now, and how can you honestly bring your fears and desires to God in prayer, choosing to trust His will?
Day 3: God’s Strength Is Given for Endurance, Not Escape
God may not always remove our suffering, but He gives us the strength and grace to endure it—just as an angel strengthened Jesus in Gethsemane, God meets us in our surrender and provides what we need to face what’s ahead. His presence does not always change our circumstances, but it enables us to persevere, to keep going when we feel beyond our limits, and to discover that endurance itself is a gift of His nearness. [06:52]
2 Corinthians 12:9 (ESV)
But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me.
Reflection: Where do you need God’s strength to endure today, and how can you invite His presence to give you “just enough” for the next step?
Day 4: God’s Ways Are Higher Than Our Understanding
When we walk through suffering or uncertainty, we may not understand God’s reasons or plans, but we can trust that His ways and thoughts are higher than ours. Even when explanations are lacking, God offers us His presence, peace, and hope, inviting us to rest in Him rather than in our own understanding, and to trust that He is at work in ways we cannot see. [11:39]
Isaiah 55:8-9 (ESV)
“For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, declares the Lord. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.”
Reflection: What is one situation where you are seeking answers from God, and how might you practice trusting His wisdom and presence even without full understanding?
Day 5: Knowing Christ More Deeply Through Suffering
It is often in our suffering that we come to know Christ most deeply—not just about Him, but to share in His presence, comfort, and resurrection power. As Paul writes, the surpassing worth of knowing Christ is found not in escaping pain, but in experiencing His strength and hope in the midst of it, allowing our faith to take deeper root and our hearts to be shaped by His love. [12:54]
Philippians 3:7-10 (ESV)
But whatever gain I had, I counted as loss for the sake of Christ. Indeed, I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have suffered the loss of all things and count them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which comes through faith in Christ, the righteousness from God that depends on faith—that I may know him and the power of his resurrection, and may share his sufferings, becoming like him in his death.
Reflection: How has a season of pain or loss deepened your relationship with Jesus, and what might it look like to seek to know Him more in your current circumstances?
Quotes
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