Jesus Prayed for You

Every time we say a prayer, which comes from our heart, we are connecting with our Father God…we are engaging with the Creator of all Life…

We are in communication…we are one with Him and He is one with us…

In the Gospel of John, Chapter 17, Jesus knew what was coming and He prayed…

He prayed that His Abba would be glorified through him…

He prayed for those God had given him to teach and lead and direct them to Father God, Elohim.

He prayed that they would be one even as God and Jesus were one…

He prayed that they might know Him, the Only True God, and Jesus Christ, whom He had sent.

Jesus glorified His Father on earth; He finished the work God sent him to do. Then He said, “O Father, glorify me with your own self with the glory which I had with you before the world was.” (Verse 5)

Before the world was….do you get that? Jesus is praying for his disciples, he is in communion with His Father in heaven…he knows his time has come and he is praying, for his disciples and for us…

Verse 9: I pray for them: I pray not for the world, but for them which you gave me; for they are yours. 10: and all are mine; and I am glorified in them.

He goes on praying, communing with God…and verse 20: this is where you and I come in… “Neither pray I for these alone, but for them also which shall believe on me through their word; 21 That they all may be one; as you, Father, art in me and I am in you, that they also may be one in us: that the world may believe that you have sent me.

He keeps praying read 22, 23, 24 when you get to verse 25, I love this one…he says, “O righteous Father,” Jesus knows who His father is, He is righteous… he goes on to say, “the world has not known you, and these have known that you have sent me.”

Verse 26: And I have declared unto them thy name, and will declare it: that the LOVE wherewith you have loved me may be in them, and I in them.

Please get this…Jesus is the Son of the Living God, and here He is praying for His disciples. He knows what’s about to happen to him, so what does he do? He prays…

The Savior, the Redeemer, the Son of God is praying.

Connecting with God is so very important…you may say just a word, a sigh, or pour your heart out before God…He will listen and He will answer…not always in the way we expect or think but always in the way our Father knows is best. When we pray it changes everything…we are in tune with God, we become one…then, God hears us and He listens and it opens the channels for God to move on our behalf…

Jesus knew his purpose and he fulfilled that purpose…it wasn’t easy…it wasn’t a walk in the park…it was painful and unthinkable…but it was worth it…Following Jesus is a dying to self…it’s taking up our cross and living a life separated from this world and it’s culture and prejudices. It’s a life set apart for what God wants, not what we want…

I’ve asked God for five years, “Why am I here Lord? What’s my purpose? I miss my family. I miss my mom. I miss life as it used to be. Everything is different the whole world has changed and not for the better, so why God, why am I here?

He’s told me many times that he is the one who has sent me here. I was content with that for a while then I’d rehash it again…but why, what is my purpose? I’m lonely, and homesick. Still I go to Church and I pray and read His word and pray some more and I write hoping people will see and understand how much God loves us.

It’s very quiet here, there’s lots of solitude and I’m grateful for peace. But I feel as if I’m not accomplishing much. Five years, is a long time of quiet. And because of my age and diabetes I have good days and not so good days physically. That’s no excuse but it limits me in many ways to go outside the home. So I write a lot.

This morning I was having many thoughts like leaving here, but where would I go and I’d miss Bob terribly, his work is here. I’m just being honest. After Irma and all the turmoil in the world I want to be with my family. I want to see my grandbabies and hold them and spend time with them before time runs out. But they have their lives to live and I would just be in the way. These were my thoughts. I put my hands on each side of my head and said, God, let me capture each thought and bring into subjection to you, that I will put aside every thought that exalts itself against you. Amen.

I began to pray. I was missing my mom. Her influence and her prayers were always welcomed. I missed praying with her and our conversations about the things of God. I got her Bible and in my spirit I heard, Read John 17. I opened her King James Bible. She treasured God’s word. As I opened the book, it fell on John 12. I looked at it and was going to start there but I heard a gentle, No not 12; 17. So I turned to chapter 17, and as I said above it was about Jesus praying…

When I was thirteen years old I wanted to be a Missionary to Africa. It was a longing in my heart. But as I grew up that dream became a distant memory.

After I read John 17, and took some notes, I began to hear the Holy Spirit say…This, is your mission field. This is your assignment. This is where ‘I’ will be glorified through you. You are the answer to my son’s prayer, the one He prayed in chapter 17 all those years ago.

He prayed for you, your generation, all those before and for all those after. You are one of the believers he was praying for. It’s because of His prayer you were called and chosen. For this time in history…your time to glorify me…your Abba, we are one. You are doing what I’ve sent you to do. Stop asking why…

I burst into tears and with a grateful, thankful, full-heart and I worshipped Abba, my loving, gracious, heavenly Father…

If you are feeling lonely, unfulfilled, insignificant, to old, to young, if you’re feeling like you are set aside with no purpose…please know this…Jesus has prayed for you…he has called you for such a time as this…right now, right where you are…

You are on His mission field…for His purpose and His glory…Jesus has prayed just for you…Don’t be discouraged, don’t be defeated…God is with you and in you…we are not alone…God the Father, Jesus the Son and the Holy Spirit are with us and in us, we are one!

For those of us who are not strong as we once were physically…with Jesus in us we are more than conquerors. The Joy of Lord is our strength. Whatever we can do for Him, we will do it with all our might, to bring Glory and honor to God, Amen!

One last thing…because my children have all been born into the kingdom of God…we are going to spend an eternity together…so I don’t need to miss them anymore. I’ll just enjoy them all the more when we can be together.

Our mission is to do what God has called us to do and to do it with His joy and love and peace…

Pray for our missionaries who are all over the world. (Pastor Matt Tumas and His family need our prayers. They are in Guatemala) Thank you!

~Marla Shaw O’Neill September 20, 2017