The church never forgot that when Jesus was laying out his soul to God in the extremity of his inner anguish in Gethsemane, he summed up his relationship by crying "abba." This was not simply "father." It was much more familiar than that. Perhaps the first word a Hebrew child uttered would be "abba"-daddy.
It expresses and fulfills the intimacy conveyed in how he had earlier taught his disciples to pray, which included a prayer for deliverance from evil. When I have been teaching Sam to pray, I've used the words: "When trouble comes our way, rescue us." I'm sure this doesn't capture everything in Deliver us from evil/the evil one but I think it at least partly corresponds. It seems there is something of this in If it be possible, let this cup pass from me. But ultimately Jesus submits his will to that of his daddy and trusts that he will be with him, to strengthen him, in the midst of the trouble that is heading his way.
Then the story transitions from anguish to an almost unbelievable sense of composure and calmness in Jesus as he is arrested. I came across John Wesley's notes on how Jesus responds in the midst of being arrested...
The heroic behaviour of the blessed Jesus, in the whole period of his sufferings, will be observed by every attentive eye, and felt by every pious heart: although the sacred historians, according to their usual but wonderful simplicity, make no encomiums upon it. With what composure does he go forth to meet the traitor! With what calmness receive that malignant kiss! With what dignity does he deliver himself into the hands of his enemies! Yet plainly showing his superiority over them, and even then leading as it were captivity captive!
What a remarkable transition from anguish and distress to composure and calmness. With his daddy, Jesus is not afraid to pour out his soul in anguish. With his enemies who seek to do him harm, he is cool and graceful. His submission is immediately put to the test after his prayer and he is full of grace and mercy.
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