I pray for them. I am not praying for the world, but for those you have given me, for they are yours. (John 17:9)
I HEARD A VISITING PREACHER say that, when he is facing an urgent need, he takes it to the children’s classes for prayer. He knows that their prayers are getting through and that they are seeing answers. Ah, the power of simple faith!
Outside the tomb of Lazarus, Jesus thanked His heavenly Father for hearing Him, but went on to say that the Father always heard Him. Then He called, “Lazarus, come forth,” and Lazarus, already dead for four days, got up and walked out of the tomb! Jesus’ prayers were answered.
That is why today’s verse is so powerful. Jesus spoke these words just before He and His disciples went to the garden of Gethsemane. Jesus was under tremendous emotional pressure as He faced His own crucifixion the next day. Even then, His first thoughts were of His disciples and of all those who would come to salvation through their testimony. And that, my friend, includes you and me!
The Bible tells us that even now, Jesus is seated at the right hand of God the Father, still interceding on our behalf. Scottish pastor Robert Murray McCheyne put it this way: “If I could hear Christ praying for me in the next room, I would not fear a million enemies. Yet distance makes no difference. He is praying for me.” And if God is for us, who can be against us?
With Jesus in your corner, claim the victory today.
Neil S. Bowers lives in San Diego, California, with his wife and four children. A state correctional officer, he enjoys poetry and wood carving.
