Do you ever wonder who has been praying for you? Of course we give glory to God for His blessings in our lives but was someone asking for those blessings? I don’t always tell the people I am praying for that I have been asking God to bless them in some way so I don’t expect to hear from everyone praying for me. Again, we give glory to God for His blessings whether or not God’s actions are the result of prayer.
Jesus once told Peter that He had prayed for him. In Luke 22:31-32, He said, “Simon, Simon, behold, Satan has demanded permission to sift you like wheat; but I have prayed for you, that your faith may not fail; and you, when once you have turned again, strengthen your brothers.” Peter responds by telling Jesus that he is willing to die for Him but Jesus then predicts that Peter will deny Him three times.
There are two parts to this passage that I often miss. Perhaps I am too interested in Peter’s failure. First, Jesus is praying that Peter’s faith will not fail. Second, Jesus predicts that Peter will “turn again” in order to strengthen his brothers. Jesus knows that Peter will deny Him but He also knows that his faith will be renewed. Even though he knew this, Jesus was concerned for the faith of Peter and so He prayed for him.
But is He as concerned about our faith today? I am not the Peter on whom Jesus built His church. I have not served as Peter has.
Before Jesus said these words to Peter, He was praying for you. I don’t mean you in a plural sense referring to everyone in the church but in an individual sense of the word, you.
John 17 is known as Jesus’ priestly prayer. It appears that He is praying for His disciples, for those who have kept God’s word (verse 6). The entire chapter is worth reading carefully, but I will focus on four verses.
First, in verse 11, He prays, “….Holy Father, keep them in Your name, the name which You have given Me, that they may be one even as We are.” Here Jesus is praying that God the Father will keep His disciples in their faith just as He later prays for Peter.
Second, in verse 15, Jesus says, “I do not ask You to take them out of the world, but to keep them from the evil one.” Here Jesus is asking for protection for the disciples.
But does this apply to us? The third and fourth verses I want to focus on to answer that question. In verses 20 and 21, Jesus continues His prayer:
“I do not ask on behalf of these alone, but for those also who believe in Me through their word; that they may all be one; even as You, Father, are in Me and I in You, that they also may be in Us, so that the world may believe that You sent Me.”
We have all become Christians through the words of the early disciples. This prayer is for us. It is about you who have believed and kept God’s word. Jesus is praying for you, that the Father will keep you and that He will protect you from the evil one.
If Jesus is praying for those who believe, how much more should we also pray for strength and protection for those who believe, those sitting beside you on Sunday morning or those who are unable to worship in countries where declaring a faith in God through Jesus is illegal.
I am thankful for Jesus’ prayer for us and I humbly join Him in praying to God the Father for our brothers and sisters around the world. For whom are you praying?
Garry
(All Bible references from NASB 1995 Bible translation).
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