Be smart. Pray!

John 17:20-26

20 I'm praying not only for them but also for those who will believe in me because of them and their witness about me. 21 The goal is for all of them to become one heart and mind-- Just as you, Father, are in me and I in you, So they might be one heart and mind with us. Then the world might believe that you, in fact, sent me. 22 The same glory you gave me, I gave them, So they'll be as unified and together as we are-- 23 I in them and you in me. Then they'll be mature in this oneness, And give the godless world evidence That you've sent me and loved them In the same way you've loved me. 24 Father, I want those you gave me To be with me, right where I am, So they can see my glory, the splendor you gave me, Having loved me Long before there ever was a world. 25 Righteous Father, the world has never known you, But I have known you, and these disciples know That you sent me on this mission. 26 I have made your very being known to them-- Who you are and what you do-- And continue to make it known, So that your love for me Might be in them Exactly as I am in them.

Food for thought!

Luke tells us that that night Jesus prayed with such intensity, that his sweat became like great drops of blood, Luke 22:41-44. First, he prayed for himself as the Cross faced him: John 17:5 «And now, Father, glorify me with your very own splendor, The very splendor I had in your presence Before there was a world.» Second, he prayed for his disciples: John 17:9 «I pray for them. I'm not praying for the God-rejecting world But for those you gave me.» Third, his prayers looked into the distant future and distant lands. Yes, that night Jesus prayed for you and me: «I'm praying not only for them but also for those who will believe in me because of them and their witness about me.» 

Acts 23:6-11

When Paul saw that some of the group were Sadducees and the others were Pharisees, he called out in the Council, “Fellow Israelites! I am a Pharisee, the son of Pharisees. I am on trial here because of the hope I have that the dead will rise to life!” As soon as he said this, the Pharisees and Sadducees started to quarrel, and the group was divided. (For the Sadducees say that people will not rise from death and that there are no angels or spirits; but the Pharisees believe in all three.) The shouting became louder, and some of the teachers of the Law who belonged to the party of the Pharisees stood up and protested strongly: “We cannot find a thing wrong with this man! Perhaps a spirit or an angel really did speak to him!” The argument became so violent that the commander was afraid that Paul would be torn to pieces. So he ordered his soldiers to go down into the group, get Paul away from them, and take him into the fort. That night the Lord stood by Paul and said, “Don't be afraid! You have given your witness for me here in Jerusalem, and you must also do the same in Rome.”

Food for thought!

Paul is in the court. He is being accused. He is being tied and tried. He apparently has no way out. How will he get out of this situation? How will he escape? Humanly speaking, Paul cannot get out of this situation. However, for God nothing is impossible. Nothing.

Paul has been praying, as we saw yesterday. And because of his prayer, he was inspired to see something that would save him. The reading says that "Paul saw that some of the group were Sadducees and the others were Pharisees, he called out in the Council, “Fellow Israelites! I am a Pharisee, the son of Pharisees. I am on trial here because of the hope I have that the dead will rise to life!” In other words, Paul got an insight to see that two enemies were joined together against him.

So he took chance; he played smart. He spoke up. Yes, prayer makes us smart. It makes us see things from God's perspective In other words, prayer makes us smart. Be smart, Pray!

In today's gospel reading, Jesus shows how to pray. With confidence! When Jesus prayed that night he was to be killed, his followers were not only few, but also were to abandon him. Even with hid death just hours away, Jesus' confidence was unshaken, and he was praying for those who would come to believe in his name. He knew that his death was never going to be the end; he knew that there was light beyond the tunnel; that there was daybreak after night; that there was a resurrection Sunday after Good Friday; that there was a crown after the cross.

This is what prayer makes us be; able to see hope in a hopeless situation; able to good in evil; Jesus knew that the disciples did not fully understand him; he knew that in a very short time they were going to abandon him in his hour of dire need. Yet to these very same men destined to fail, Jesus looked with complete confidence to spread his name throughout the world. Jesus never lost his faith in God or his confidence in man. So must you and me; don't lose hope in Christ. He is still Lord, both now and forever. Amen.