Someone Is Praying For You

I pray for them. I do not pray for these alone, but also for those who will believe in Me through their word. John 17:9, 20 NKJV

We often read of the times that Jesus prayed. Sometimes those prayers were in private and sometimes they were in the company of others. The 17th chapter of John gives us an opportunity to listen in on one of His prayers. As I read it this morning I was struck by the things Jesus lifted up to the Father on my behalf. And not just my behalf but for anyone who knows Him as Savior. Hebrews 7:25 assures me that He continues the intercession for us in Heaven. He is still praying for us! Do you have certain people in your life who pray for you? Have they ever shared the specifics of those prayers? What would it mean to you if they wrote down the prayers and shared them with you? Let’s take a look at those things Jesus has already prayed and continues to pray for us.

He prayed that we would have unity. That they may be one as we are one. He prayed that we would have His joy. That they might have my joy fulfilled in themselves. He prayed for our protection. That You should keep them from the evil one. He prayed for our sanctification. That they also may be sanctified by the truth. He prayed that we would experience His love. That the love with which You loved Me may be in them, and I in them.

When I dare to slip my name into each of those phrases I begin to grasp the personal, loving nature of Jesus’ prayers for me. Those prayers have not changed and yet I am aware of the fact that they are also not limited to just this list alone. He knows me inside and out. He knows my past, present, and future. Therefore, His prayers for me are thorough, passionate, effective, and powerful.

His invitation to me today is to begin to grasp the preciousness of such a Prayer Partner, to pray in agreement with Him, and then extend those prayers to others. And one of the most powerful ways to do that is implement Scripture into my prayers. I can use these very verses or numerous other ones when I am praying about a need in my own life or in the life of others. http://www.biblegateway.com/ is a valuable tool for doing just that. I can put in a word and it will show me every verse in the Bible that uses that word. Plus it will give me a choice of numerous Bible versions to choose from. I simply pick a verse that I then want to include in my prayer. This is what is meant by praying God’s Word and He delights when we do that! May many of us choose to make this a daily practice.

Father, Jesus knew the power of prayer. He demonstrated it to us and continues to be our example. Help me to be more like Him. Amen.