Suspended: 7 Paradoxes That Blew Me Away

Meditating in the Garden of Gethsemane in Jerusalem, Israel

Just this weekend, I was reflecting on the word "suspended" as it seems to fit the events and emotions of the story so beautifully.

I thought about how the world was suspended that Saturday between the first Good Friday over 2,000 years ago and the first-ever Resurrection Sunday.

Suspended between despair and hope,

between loss and gain,

between sorrow and joy,

between death and life.

And no one was expecting how seamlessly one would lead into the next.

I reflected on my own experience of feeling suspended while standing in the Garden of Gethsemane myself a couple of years ago. I was brought there by way of a major health crisis (a third concussion). My doctors refused to offer me any estimates as to when my brain would regain its strength or when I'd "return to normal." They told me I simply needed to wait.

And so there I was - suspended - hoping that healing was on the other side.

While standing there in the Garden of Gethsemane, gazing at the very middle of the garden where they believe Jesus offered up His high priestly prayer in John 17, I slowly pondered each paradox that occurred in this very place. 

It was like I suddenly saw the story with fresh eyes.

I didn’t know an afternoon stroll through the Garden of Gethsemane so many years ago would have inspired a poem that would one day be published in a book of my own. Nonetheless, I’m so thankful I spent an extended time there - waiting and lingering - as the inspiration for this composition stirred within me.

Take a moment to ponder each of the seven paradoxes in the poem below and consider what it must've been like for Jesus to pray for us to know, considering the context in which He found Himself.

These paradoxes simply leave me in awe. Which one resonates with you the most?

✍🏽 Gethsemane: Your Prayer

By Esther Yoder 

Written in Jerusalem, Israel

Inspired at the Garden of Gethsemane

When Your soul was sorrowful unto death,

You prayed that I would enter Your joy.  

When You wanted the cup to pass from You,

You prayed for God's will to be done instead.  

While Your closest friends were sleeping,

You prayed that I would know You. 

While being betrayed by one of Your closet friends,

You prayed that I would be one with You. 

Moments before being publicly shamed,

You prayed that God would be glorified.  

Moments before being arrested and flogged,

You prayed that I would be kept from the evil one. 

Moments before being led to Your death,

You prayed that I would know eternal life. 

A sneak peek of what this poem looks like inside "Sweeter" the book

Your turn: Which paradox in this poem stands out to you the most? How does Jesus' example of prayer amidst the hardship He faced bless you or challenge you? Comment below. 👇🏼