John 17:1-3 – “When Jesus had spoken these words, he lifted up his eyes to heaven, and said, “Father, the hour has come; glorify your Son that the Son may glorify you, since you have given him authority over all flesh, to give eternal life to all whom you have given him. And this is eternal life, that they know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent.”
If you had one week to live, what would you pray for? Who would you pray for? In John 17, we read of the longest prayer Jesus ever prayed. He is in the final week of His life, headed to the cross to pay the penalty for the sin of the world. In Jesus’ prayer, as you would expect, he does pray for Himself, but he actually spends most of his prayer in selfless intercession for his disciples and for all the believers who will result from their continued ministry.
Every day matters, but some days matter more. There are windows of sacred and significant opportunity that, if we do not capture, are gone forever. Jesus knows that He is fast approaching the most important day of His life on earth and the goal of His mission, which was to glorify the Father by saving the sinners.
Life can get so busy and we can get so distracted that we miss the big moments. The key, as Jesus models, is to stop and pray so that we capture the big moments and prepare ourselves to either have God get us around it, or have God get us through it. These big moments can be a big opportunity, a big obstacle, or a big decision. Our first priority must be prayer, to connect with God and align with His will for our life. When big moments are on the horizon, it’s more important than ever to push everything else down our priority list and pray first.
Are there any big moments in your life or on your horizon that you need to be diligent in prayer for?