Having gained the place he sought, Jesus engaged in earnest prayer to his Father. Hour after hour, with tears and importunity, he supplicated for strength to bear his afflictions and for grace to be bestowed upon his disciples that they might bear the terrible trials that awaited them in the future. The dew was heavy upon his bowed form, but he heeded it not; the shadows of night gathered thickly about him, but he regarded not their gloom. So the hours passed slowly by. At first the disciples united their prayers with his in sincere devotion; but as the hours dragged slowly on, they were overcome with weariness and loss of sleep, and even while endeavoring to retain their interest in the scene, they fell asleep. Jesus had told them of his future sufferings, he had taken them with him that they might watch and pray with him while he was pleading with his Father; even then he was praying that his disciples might have strength to endure the coming test of his humiliation and death. He especially plead that they might witness such a manifestation of his divinity as would forever remove from their minds all unbelief and lingering doubts; a manifestation that would comfort them in the hour of his supreme agony with the knowledge that he was of a surety the Son of God, and that his shameful death was a part of the divine plan of redemption. {2SP 327.1}

Da Jesus havde fundet det sted, han søgte, nærmede han sig til sin Fader i inderlig bøn. Time efter time bad han indtrængende og med tårer om styrke til at bære sine lidelser og om, at hans disciple måtte få nåde til at udholde de forfærdelige prøver, som ventede dem i fremtiden. Duggen faldt tungt på hans nedbøjede skikkelse; men han agtede ikke derpå. Nattens skygger samledes tæt omkring ham; men han lagde ikke mærke til mørket. Således gik timerne langsomt hen. I begyndelsen forenede disciplene deres inderlige bønner med hans; men eftersom tiden gik hen blev de overvældede af træthed og faldt i søvn midt under deres bestræbelser for at bevare interessen for det, som frafaldt. Jesus havde fortalt dem om sine fremtidige lidelser. Han havde taget dem med sig, for at de kunne våge og bede med ham, medens han søgte sin Fader i bøn. Han bad, at hans disciple måtte få styrke til at udholde den kommende prøve ved hans (328) fornedrelse og død. Han bad især om, at de måtte blive vidner til en sådan åbenbarelse af hans guddom, at al vantro og tvivl, som endnu måtte være levnet hos dem, for evig kunne bortfjernes fra deres hjerte, en åbenbaring, som kunne trøste dem under hans store sjælekamp, idet de var fast overbevist om, at han var Guds Søn, og at hans skammelige død var en del af forløsningens guddommelige plan.