A dear friend of mine with chronic illness asked me to write a song about our Savior’s suffering in Gethsemane. Over the years, she has shared insights she’s had about His suffering, especially when she sometimes feels alone in her pain, and has thought of His friends sleeping. This song is the result of that request. This was not an easy song for me to write, but I’m so grateful for the way it came together. There were many different things I was wanting to portray in the song, not just His suffering, but His life of love and example.
Torn between having the song in a minor key to show sadness and suffering and using a major key to show the hope and peace we feel because of our Savior, caused me to be a little all over the place with melody, meter, and chords. In the end, I was so thankful for my wonderful producer, Becky, who pulled it all together beautifully, and as she always does, sang it with the voice of an angel. It was also a blessing to have Michael Dowdle add the incredible guitar touches.
I’m so thankful for the way Jesus lived His exemplary life, was willing to take all of our pains, sins, and illness upon Himself in the Garden of Gethsemane, and then followed through to finish His great Atonement on the cross. I feel His love and support in my life and I’m so grateful for the way I can express my faith and love for Him through music. Each song I write feels like a gift He gives to me, to help me learn more about Him.
Garden of Gethsemane (feat. Michael Dowdle & Becky Willard)
Suzanne Hodson
A life of light a life of service
A life of teaching love and worth,
A life of prayer, and peace and goodness
Filled all His days on earth…
Jesus knew what was coming
But He still kept going
He went to the garden for me
His friends were all sleeping
The angels were weeping
To see His suffering
In the sacred Garden of Gethsemane,
My Savior pardoned and rescued me
He did it obediently, lovingly
To do the Father’s will
In the sacred Garden of Gethsemane,
My Savior opened His arms to me
His precious blood He’d spill
His mission He’d fulfill
In the Garden of Gethsemane
In the Garden of Gethsemane
The trials and cross were soon to follow
My Savior gave His life for me
But in the garden he first shouldered all
In Gethsemane
I don’t know what’s coming
But I can keep going
Because of what He did for me
When my friends are sleeping
And I’m in pain, weeping,
I remember His suffering…
In the sacred Garden of Gethsemane,
My Savior pardoned and rescued me
He did it obediently, lovingly
To do the Father’s will
In the sacred Garden of Gethsemane,
My Savior opened His arms to me
His precious blood He’d spill
His mission He’d fulfill
In the Garden of Gethsemane
In the Garden of Gethsemane
The pains, sins, and illness of every soul
He felt in every pore
The weight of the world He humbly bore
To open heaven’s door…
In the sacred Garden of Gethsemane,
My Savior pardoned and rescued me
In the sacred Garden of Gethsemane,
My Savior pardoned and rescued me
He did it obediently, lovingly
To do the Father’s will
In the sacred Garden of Gethsemane,
My Savior opened His arms to me
His precious blood He’d spill
His mission He’d fulfill
In the Garden of Gethsemane
In the Garden of Gethsemane