November 6

Our Great Intercessor

I am not asking on behalf of them alone, but also on behalf of those who will believe in Me through their message, — John 17:20 BSB

In this wonderful intercessory prayer, our Lord extended His reach beyond the small circle of disciples standing around Him that night, and embraced in His prayer all who would believe in Him throughout time. That includes us, who believe in Christ today. He looked down through the ages, saw us in our dangers, and amid the deepening shadows of His cross, prayed for us. How sweet it is to know that Christ prayed for us!

And yet, that’s not all. We are told elsewhere that Jesus lives forever to make intercession for His people. We shouldn’t think that He lost interest in the world when He ascended to heaven. This intercessory prayer, the words of which we glimpse in this chapter, is only a momentary revelation of Christ’s continual intercession for us from within the veil. We are to think of Him in heaven, watching over us at all times, praying for us in every moment of danger. He sees each temptation as it approaches and prays, “Father, protect Your child in danger.”

It brings us great comfort even to know that a dear human friend is praying for us. Many times in my youth, I was kept from doing wrong because I remembered that far away in my quiet home, my father and mother were praying every morning and evening for God to watch over their son. I couldn’t do the wrong thing with this thought in my mind. How much more powerful is the thought that day and night, Jesus in heaven is thinking of us, watching us, and praying for us whenever danger appears. How could we do wrong if we stopped long enough to think of His divine intercession?