The final night that Jesus spends with his beloved disciples is a night of much prayer. Before he prays privately in the garden he prays publicly in the upper room. Before he prays for himself and his own endurance, he prays for them and theirs. “I do not ask that you take them out of the world,” he prays to his Father, “but that you keep them from the evil one.” What he does not pray is as noteworthy as what he actually does.
He does not lift up his voice to the Father to say, “I pray you take them away, I pray you take them home, I pray you take them to be where you are and where I soon shall be.” Not now. Not yet. For they still have work to do, orders to obey, a commission to fulfill. “I do not ask that you take them out of the world.” But there is more to his prayer. “I do pray that you keep them from the evil one.” He does not petition the Father to say, “I pray you keep them from suffering” or “I pray you keep them from persecution.” He does
To continue...read the full-length post originally published on this site.
