Amazing!

Amazing!

As I spent time with the Lord just now reading His word, I’ve come to realize something amazing: Jesus remembered to pray for me, and for all of us who believe in Him, even before He died. Even before He gave Himself up to be crucified. Don’t believe it?

In John 17, Jesus prayed for Himself as He knew the time of His crucifixion was nearing. He asked God the Father to glorify Him that He also may glorify the Father. And then right after that, He goes on to pray for His disciples then, as He would leave them behind for the world to persecute and experience all kinds of tribulation. John 17:14-19 says, as Jesus went on to pray for His disciples:

“I have given them your word and the world has hated them, for they are not of the world any more than I am of the world. My prayer is not that you take them out of the world but that you protect them from the evil one. They are not of the world, even as I am not of it. Sanctify them, by the truth; your word is truth. As you sent me into the world, I have sent them into the world. For them I sanctify myself, that they too may be truly sanctified.”

...in the earlier verses, John 17:10-11, He says this, still praying for His disciples:

“All I have is yours, and all you have is mine. And glory has come to me through them. I will remain in the world no longer, but they are still in the world, and I am coming to you. Holy Father, protect them by the power of Your name—the name you gave me—so that they may be one as we are one.”

As I was reading that I thought, wow, what a true friend Jesus was to them. He prayed for His 12 disciples! In the earlier passages He even remembered Judas, who at that point in time was just about to betray Jesus by giving Him up to the soldiers to make the arrest and bring Him to trial. And aren’t we taught that when we pray for someone, we really allow God to work in that person’s life? It’s amazing what happens when God’s people pray for each other, and yet Jesus prayed for his friends, His disciples! Imagine the blessing they would receive, and boy did they receive blessing – the Holy Spirit to begin with, to protect them from the evil one, plus anointing to heal the sick, to speak in tongues.

And as if that wasn’t enough reassurance, John 17:20-21 goes on to show the rest of Jesus’ prayer – this is really the point I’m driving at: He prayed for you and me:

“My prayer is not for them alone. I also pray for those who will believe in me through their message, that all of them may be one, Father, just as you are in me and I am in you. May they also be in us so that the world will believe you have sent me...”

And then verse 24 goes, “Father, I want those you have given me to be with me where I am, to see my glory, the glory you have given me because you loved me before the creation of the world.”

You may ask why this is important to me, why I should blog about it. I guess because this makes even more real to me the concept of HOPE, more so, hoping in the Lord. I now know more than ever that to hope in the Lord for better days is never in vain, because Jesus Himself already thought of me, even prayed for me, right before He died on the cross for me and my sins. He prayed for you, and all else who believe His word to be true, and accepted Him as his Lord and Savior. So whenever we pray and ask in His name, we know it shall never be in vain. We know we will receive His blessing, at His perfect time. Because He prayed for us first! He prayed for all of us even before we started praying for our own concerns. Think about it. Jesus loves us that much. I say this because I know how hard it is for some to spend time in earnest prayer, what with the busy lives we all lead – I myself find it hard to give God quality time in prayer. But now knowing that Jesus prayed for me brings me joy and encouragement to pray for myself and others. It’s no phony realization whatsoever – you can ask me, even here, to pray for you. What is it in your life do you want me to pray for? Post a comment and I will pray for you.

Hope in the Lord. It will never be too old a truth. And never get tired of praying. Just my two cents.