Where The Victory Was Won

by Rita Langeland

During my recent trip to Israel, I had the privilege of walking in the very places that Jesus had walked while He was on the earth. From the town of Cana where Jesus turned water into wine to the Sea of Galilee where He walked on water, the places written about in scipture came alive. But there was one special place that caused me to stop and reflect deeply.

It was a place near the Mount of Olives where ancient olive trees still grow. The ground is dry and rocky and the trees are gnarled, looking like they have weathered hundreds of years. It is the place called Gethsemane, a name which means, “an oil press.”

Our tour guide, as we walked along, was the emminent Minister and Evangelist, Dr. Elias Malki. It was his commentary on Gethsemane that struck me so deeply. He said these simple yet profound words, “This is the place where the victory was won.”

I had always thought of Christ’s victory as being won on the cross when He said, “It is finished!” Or even on the day of His resurrection when he conquered death and the grave. But now I saw it! It was here in the “oil press,” that the victory was actually won. A place where the most intense pressure was on and the temptation to refuse the Father’s will was so enticing.

He walked through the streets of Jerusalem dragging that heavy cross, with blood from the whipping he had endured running down his back and legs, but He had already won. He endured the searing pain that shot through his body as the nails were driven into His wrists and feet, yet He had already won. He hung on that cross, struggling for every breath as the weight of his own body prevented him from being able to breathe normally, yet he had already won. He had won in Gethsemane.

And it is the same for you. Your victory over the temptation to walk away from the will of God for your life is won when you come to that same place of surrender. When you decide in the “oil press,” that your heart is committed to do the Father’s will no matter what it costs you, the victory is won.

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