Former Blackout Artist

My prayer is not that you take them out of the world but that you protect them from the evil one. – John 17:15

I was reading Jesus’ high priestly prayer this morning in John 17 and what He prays in verse 15 really stood out to me.

Doesn’t Jesus know the world far better than we do? He’s walked its dusty roads. He’s seen the corruption and evil, He’s experienced temptation. He knows the subtle snares, the hostility, experienced the hatred of everything true and holy. He knows all of this about the world, and yet, He prays that God would not remove us from it.

Now, I confess that our Lord’s prayer runs completely contrary to my natural desire. If it were left up to me? I’d be praying to be taken out of difficulty. I’d pray to be removed from temptation and the reach of evil altogether! I’d prefer a safer path on a quieter road… a life that is sheltered from hardship and suffering, and the constant pull of a fallen and sinful world.

Yet in His perfect wisdom, Jesus prays otherwise. He doesn’t ask for our escape. He asks for our preservation.

We should all consider this carefully. Why? Because it is here—in the midst of the great struggle—that our obedience is put to the test, that our faith is proved genuine. A sheltered faith is seldom a strong faith.

It is here in this current world we live that grace isn’t just merely spoken of, but actually observed.

Our Lord has not left us in the world carelessly. He has left us here purposefully—and prayerfully. He has asked His Father to protect us. Not from hardship or pain, but from our true enemy. Indeed, Satan is actively plotting our destruction. If the apostle Paul were here among us today in America, I think he would go from town to town preaching the same message he wrote to the Ephesians. Why are you constantly arguing and fighting with your neighbors? Is it not the devil himself, the prince of this dark world, who seeks to divide and destroy you?

Yes, our enemy is in constant opposition. But take heart! He doesn’t prevail over those whom Christ keeps! It has nothing to do with our own power, wisdom, or vigilance. We are preserved by Christ’s intercession. Praise God!

Let us not grow weary. Let’s stop measuring God’s love by the absence of our difficulties, or assume that His care is lacking because our path is sometimes hard. The very fact that we remain, and yet endure, is evidence that Christ’s prayer is being answered. And one day, when the purpose is complete and the battle is finished, we will not merely be protected from evil, but will be delivered from it entirely!

Amen!