Friday 15 Apr 2022

April 15: John 17:1-5

Key Verse: John 17:5
And now, Father, glorify me in your presence with the glory I had with you before the world began.

Devotion:
How often do you feel guilty about praying for yourself? I know I sometimes do even though I know God is listening to me and I know God will answer my prayers, I still feel guilty about asking God for things when so many people around me do not have things! We don’t have to look very far to see the desperate need of so many people around the world; from those in war torn countries to those where disasters have torn people away from the basic needs of their lives!

Yet, despite all of this, when we pray to our Heavenly Father, He is listening and He will answer! Jesus knew what was going to happen to Him and He still stepped forward into the breach! What gave Him to confidence to do so – the Love of His Father for us and the love He has for us!

Is it OK to pray for yourself? YES! God has promised us eternal life when we believe in Him. When we feel that is threatened or we are losing confidence, we should be praying for ourselves so we can get back on track! Jesus knew what was going to happen so He prayed God the Father would glorify Him just as He was when He was in Heaven. Did He need to pray this? I don’t think so because God had already said this was His Son; but He prayed this for a reason.

When we go back and read what Jesus did this day many many years ago, we are shown the example by which to live. To make sure God is involved in our lives before anything else! Jesus prayed for normality before He prayed for anything else, because that is what was important. When we are down or threatened, we should be praying for ourselves so we have the courage and strength to step forward and pray for everything else because praying for anything is a lot easier when we know we are safe first of all!

Points to Ponder:
How safe do you feel with God?

Will you secure your place so you can pray confidently for others?