And he came out, and went, as he was wont, to the mount of Olives; and his disciples also followed him. And when he was at the place, he said unto them, Pray that ye enter not into temptation. And he was withdrawn from them about a stone's cast, and kneeled down, and prayed, Saying, Father, if thou be willing, remove this cup from me: nevertheless not my will, but thine, be done. And there appeared an angel unto him from heaven, strengthening him. And being in an agony he prayed more earnestly: and his sweat was as it were great drops of blood falling down to the ground. (Luke 22:39-44) 

Here, on this holy ground where our Savior knelt in Gethsemane, the key to prevailing prayer is found. It is the submission of our will to God’s will, even at the cost of our own sweat and blood. Due to such an extreme high price, few are willing to kneel with Christ in this place of prevailing prayer. 

Most of us avoid this sacred place like the plague. After all, those who kneel within it do so under the shadow of the cross. We understand that this place marks the end of ourselves, since it serves as the preparatory place for the cross, fashioning us for it. To kneel here is to surrender to the inevitable shouldering of the cross down the Via Dolorosa. 

To join the Savior in this sacred place requires a love for God that eclipses all other affections. It requires the opposite of the illicit pursuit of the present-day masses—the supposed cure-all of self-love. The requirement for entry into Gethsemane is acquiescence to one’s own demise out of a supreme devotion to the one who initially knelt here on our behalf. Without such self-denying devotion to Christ, we will never be able to join Him here in prayer.

It is soldiers who have died in battle that are remembered by their country for making the supreme sacrifice. They are commemorated as heros. The true heros of the faith are also those who have made the supreme sacrifice; that is, the living sacrifice of themselves to God (Romans 12:1). However, it is not on a battlefield that they die, but in a garden, where they finally succumb to the divine will. It is in this garden, not on the battlefields of the world, that the greatest of all struggles takes place.

THERE IS NO GAIN BUT BY A LOSS (Arthur S. Booth-Clibborn)

There is no gain but by a loss;

You cannot save but by a cross.

The corn of wheat, to multiply,

Must fall into the ground and die.

O should a soul alone remain

When it a hundredfold can gain?

Our souls are held by all they hold;

Slaves still are slaves in chains of gold;

To whatsoever we may cling,

We make it a soul-chaining thing.

Whether it be a life or land,

And dear as our right eye or hand.

Wherever you ripe fields behold,

Waving to God their sheaves of gold,

Be sure some corn of wheat has died,

Some soul has there been crucified;

Someone has wrestled, wept and prayed,

And fought hell’s legions undismayed.