Believer or Not, Jesus Prayed for You

Yes, you!

Regardless of your title, your choices in this life and the things you chose to believe about yourself, Jesus prayed for you, about you and your days on this earth.

I didn’t always reflect on this until recently. We know of the time the Holy Spirit led Him to the Judean desert for forty days and nights, the moments of solitude spent away from the disciples, and even times spent with them. Scripture gives us insight to these vulnerable moments between Christ and our Father:

"Abba, Father" He said, "everything is possible for you. Take this cup from me. Yet not what I will, but what you will". (Mark 14:36)

Jesus made the choice to submit to His Father's will.

But what exactly is God's will for Jesus to give up His life for you?

It's quite simple.

God made Jesus who had no sin, to be a sin offering for us, so that in Him we might become the righteousness of God (2 Corinthians 5:21). For I know the plans I have for you,” says the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future." (Jeremiah 29:11)

Christ submitting to God's will, was for your salvation, safety, and protection in this life. It was for you to be redeemed through this sacrifice, and just maybe chose to have a relationship with Him.

My prayers are often about me, and my own plans in this world.

Come to think of it, we all have succumbed to the answering questions regarding our own destinies. We've answered questions about our plans for our lives; "where do you see yourself a year, five years, or ten years from now? What career are you aiming for? What do you want your family to do, to be, or look like?"

We plan our lives based on the vision we have for ourselves and what we conclude from the world to be the epitome of success. We use the world's metrics and evaluation of our character traits to define our actions, personalities, and sinfully claim and cling to it as who we are. We shamefully allow the world to tell us about ourselves, our future, and what our job should be instead of turning to scripture. I, too, have shamefully done this but Jesus's prayers for you and I still rings true as a covenant God made for us.

Jesus prayed for God's will to be done in your life.

But in the pursuit of your goals, are you truly submitting to God's will or are you hoping for the Potter to get with your program and accomplish the desires of your heart?

When you pray, what do you pray for? Do you ask your Father for your plans to succeed or for His ultimate will to be done in your life regardless of the season, the opportunity, pain, happiness or stress you are currently experiencing?

To follow God's will and to walk in the path He established for you is to be in a position of submission for His plans for you. We don't need access to God's blueprint of our lives. We really don't and I dare believe the one who lives in the world is trying at every chance to make you think otherwise just like he did to Eve in the garden of Eden.

I've fallen into that trick of trying to decipher God's plan for my life on this earth.

What is my purpose and why wouldn't God reveal it to me?

What if understanding your purpose is the simplest thing?

What if it is as simple as just having a mustard seed of faith?

We know that faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. Like the air we breathe, we know it's there but it is not seen. Similarly, our faith in God opens us to understanding His will and through our submission, we step into our purpose just like Jesus did.

Jesus' purpose was to do God's will and we are called to imitate Him.

Our purpose on earth therefore is to first seek His Kingdom and His righteousness (Matthew 6:33) like Jesus on earth and times He prayed for both you and me.

He prayed at His baptism (Luke 3:21).

In His submission to God for His will to be done in your life, He created a path for the old version of you to be gone, for you to be renewed and live after death (Matthew 6:33, Luke 3:21).

He prayed when He withdrew by boat privately to a solitary place after hearing news of John the Baptist's beheading (Matthew 14:13).

In His submission to God for His will to be done in your life, He created a direct access for you spend time with the Creator of the heavens and the earth regardless of the season you're in (Matthew 14:13, Luke 5:16, Mark 1:35, Matthew 14:23, Mark 6:46, John 6:15,

He prayed when He nourished the crowd of five thousand with five loaves and two fish in Bethsaida (Matthew 14:19).

In His submission to God for His will to be done in your life, there is no lack. You have access to overflowing nourishment, an endless supply of things needed in this life: courage, grace, peace, strength, love, joy to name a few (Matthew 14:19).

He prayed before choosing the twelve disciples (Luke 6:12).

In His submission to God for His will to be done in your life, He revealed how God sends specific individuals in your life for your purpose and His will to be accomplished, and for those who have eyes to see, to recognize who and whose you are when you're operating in His will (Luke 6:12, Luke 9:18-20).

He prayed before teaching His disciples the Lord's prayer (Luke 11:1-4).

In His submission to God for His will to be done in your life, He demonstrated how to walk like Him, act like Him, and pray like Him. He showed you how to teach, lead and direct others back to the Father (Luke 11:1-4, Luke 9:29).

He prayed at the Last Supper (Luke 22:32).

In His submission to God for His will to be done in your life, He prayed for your faith. He prayed for you, that your faith may not fail even when Satan tries isolating you from God (Luke 22:32).

Believer or not, Jesus looked toward heaven and prayed for you:

“Father, the hour has come. Glorify your Son, that your Son may glorify you. For you granted him authority over all people that he might give eternal life to all those you have given him. Now this is eternal life: that they know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent. I have brought you glory on earth by finishing the work you gave me to do. And now, Father, glorify me in your presence with the glory I had with you before the world began...

My prayer is not for them alone. I pray also for those who will believe in me through their message, that all of them may be one, Father, just as you are in me and I am in you. May they also be in us so that the world may believe that you have sent me. I have given them the glory that you gave me, that they may be one as we are one — I in them and you in me— so that they may be brought to complete unity. Then the world will know that you sent me and have loved them even as you have loved me.

Father, I want those you have given me to be with me where I am, and to see my glory, the glory you have given me because you loved me before the creation of the world.

Righteous Father, though the world does not know you, I know you, and they know that you have sent me. I have made you known to them, and will continue to make you known in order that the love you have for me may be in them and that I myself may be in them.”

John 17:1-26

Mark 14:36, 2 Corinthians 5:21, Jeremiah 29:11, Luke 3:21, John 17:1-26, Matthew 6:33, Luke 22:32, Luke 11:1-4, Luke 9:29, NIV®, BibleGateway, John 17:1-26 Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson.

May God's will be done in your life and mine.

In Jesus name I pray,

Amen.

The Found Sheep

04.01.22