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Jesus Prays for His Disciples
John 17:6, 9, 14-18: “I have revealed you to those whom you gave me out of the world. They were yours; you gave them to me and they have obeyed your word... I pray for them. I am not praying for the world, but for those you have given me, for they are yours... 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.”
If we want to see the Holy Spirit working in our lives, we will follow Jesus’ example and pray for those entrusted to us. Here are some examples of men of God who did that:
1 Samuel 7:5: “Then Samuel said, “Assemble all Israel at Mizpah, and I will intercede with the Lord for you.”
Paul said in 1 Timothy 2:1: “I urge, then, first of all, that petitions, prayers, intercession and thanksgiving be made for all people.” And then he prayed for Philemon in Philemon 1:6: “I pray that your partnership with us in the faith may be effective.”
Paul encouraged those he had just led to the Lord in 1 Thessalonians 1:2: “We always thank God for all of you and continually mention you in our prayers.” Then in 2 Thessalonians 1:11: “we constantly pray for you, that our God may make you worthy of his calling, and that by his power he may bring to fruition your every desire for goodness and your every deed prompted by faith.”
In 1 Kings 13:6: “Then the king said to the man of God, “Intercede with the Lord your God and pray for me that my hand may be restored.” So the man of God interceded with the Lord, and the king’s hand was restored and became as it was before.”
Reflection: As Christ followers, we need each other, and we only grow and thrive when we bathe our lives, and those God has entrusted to us, in prayer. Is prayer as vital in our lives as breathing, eating, and sleeping?
About this Plan
Isn’t it fascinating that Jesus’ disciples didn’t ask Jesus to teach them how to lead or preach or teach or administrate, although He certainly was the expert? In Luke 11:1, they said, “Teach us to pray.” They had seen Him praying more than anything else. How can we learn from Jesus’ priority of prayer?
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