John 17:9-10 (NKJV) 9“I pray for them. I do not pray for the world but for those whom You have given Me, for they are Yours. 10“And all Mine are Yours, and Yours are Mine, and I am glorified in them.
In our last two posts, I have been looking at the people Jesus prayed for. If prayer is going to become a weapon that will help us resist the devil, we can find no greater example of how to pray than Jesus himself. In Matthew 5, Jesus taught his disciples to pray for those who persecute us. He became our example for this when he prayed for those who were crucifying him. In Matthew 9 Jesus prayed for workers to go into the harvest. In Matthew 19, he prayed for children. I believe we must pray for our children in these trying times. Part of that is praying for a real encounter with Jesus that will result in the “first love” experience Jesus spoke of in Revelations 2. It is that love that keeps us through the most difficult times.
Today I want to look at another group that Jesus specifically prayed for. He prayed for those that he loved and those he was accountable for. In today’s scripture we see Jesus’ praying at the end of his earthly life. We read in John 17 that he is not praying for the world. At this point, Jesus knows he will soon leave his disciples. He knows they will go through the most difficult time of their lives after he is crucified. There will be nothing the physical man Jesus could do for them when he left. However, that did not mean he could not do something powerful that would have impact in their lives before he left them. He prayed for them.
As a father of six children, grandfather of 18 children and great grandfather of 5 and soon to be six, I can tell you that when they are going through problems in life, it is at least as difficult for me to watch what they are going through as it is for them to experience it. By nature, I immediately try to find some way to help. Often, their struggles are financial, and at times I have gotten myself into trouble by borrowing to try to help them when I should not have. God dealt with me about that early on. He reminded me that they are his children just as much as mine. Why did I do things I should not have? Because I could not see any other solution.
As much as I believe in prayer and have seen God move for me because of it, when it came to those I love experiencing hard times, my love wanted to solve the problem for them. I did not really see prayer as doing enough to help. Certainly, there are times when we need to help our children. What I learned was not to pray when all else failed, but to pray before anything else. As my wife and I pray, God reveals what we should do. We still help our children and grandchildren, but because we do it in the context of prayer, God provides through us instead of us simply doing the best we can and beyond what we should.
Jesus prayed for those he loved. Although John 17 is a prime example of this, it is not the only one. In Luke 22, we see Jesus praying for Peter as he is about to enter the greatest struggle of his life. In the hours to come, Peter denied Jesus 3 times. However, because Jesus prayed for him, he did not stay in that weakness but was later restored to become one of the preeminent Apostles to the church. In John 14 Jesus tells his disciples that he will pray that the Father will send them another helper, the Holy Spirit, when he is gone.
Many times, we see Jesus praying alone. We can be sure he was praying for those he loved. One such time was in John 14. Jesus sent his disciples to cross the Sea of Galilee without him while he stayed behind and prayed. While they were in the open sea a storm came up. Jesus came to them walking on the water. Why? I believe he saw them in trouble and the Father sent him to help them.
There is nothing more important we can do for those we love than to pray for them. We simply do not usually believe it will help. When we pray, we are calling down God’s own power in their lives. We are putting pressure on the powers of darkness that are working against them. We are strengthening them where they are weak and filling in things that they do not know they need. When those you love are in trouble, be willing to help in any way you can. However, do not underestimate the power of praying for them. God hears and he is working on their behalf. If Jesus prayed for those he loved, so must we.
Not only should we pray for those we love, but we should pray for those for whom we are accountable. Jesus loved his disciples, but he also understood that they were his responsibility. All of us lead people in some way. Parents lead their children. Children lead other children who look up to them. In business, bosses lead the workers and, as a Christian, you lead those who do not know Jesus by being an example of his love to them and sharing his word with them.
No matter what area you may lead, you are accountable for those people. This is true in the area of ministry. I deal with many pastors and church leaders. One of the scriptures I like to use is Hebrews 13:17
Hebrews 13:17 (NKJV) 17Obey those who rule over you, and be submissive, for they watch out for your souls, as those who must give account. Let them do so with joy and not with grief, for that would be unprofitable for you.
Leadership in the body of Christ is not about authority. It is about accountability. In this scripture those who are under leadership are exhorted to be submissive to their leaders. Nevertheless, it puts the burden back on the leaders. They must give account to God for how they led his people.
There was a time when my wife and I traveled in ministry while we still had small children. We always left someone to “watch over” our children. They were not the children of the people who were watching over them. They were our children. When we returned, if they were not clean, fed and continuing with the things they needed to do, the one watching over them would give account to me.
If they had not done the job as they should, there would be a problem. We must give account to God for those we lead. One of the best ways to be sure we are going to be able to give a good account is to pray for them. If we do that, we will do for them what their Father wants done and in the way he wants it done. We will provide them with help that nothing else will. Pray for those you are leading and watch what God will do, both with you and without you.
Jesus was so convinced about the necessity of praying for those for whom he was accountable, and he loved, that he is still doing so.
Hebrews 7:25 (NKJV) 25Therefore He is also able to save to the uttermost those who come to God through Him, since He always lives to make intercession for them.
Jesus is able to save to the uttermost those who come to him. What does that mean? The Amplified Bible describes this word as completely, perfectly, finally, and for all time and eternity. We could rightly say that that is salvation. It is complete, it is perfect final, and eternal. However, in this verse the Bible says that he causes this to manifest in our lives because he is making intercession for us even today. Jesus is praying for you. He is praying for your loved ones and those for whom you must give account. Surely, we should do the same, and we will help save them “to the uttermost” as we do.
What a powerful weapon with which to resist the devil. No wonder James says he will flee from us.
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