In our Lord's great prayer of intercession. He said, "Neither pray I for these alone" (meaning, of course, His apostles and those with Him then). "but for them also which shall believe on me through their word" (John 17:20).

1. HE PRAYS FOR US! This is not a universal prayer for the world of men; for He said in vs. 9, "I pray not for the world but for them which Thou hast given me." The Lord is praying for every believer as if He called our names. We were in His hand and on His heart in that hour of redemption.

2. He prays for us BEFORE WE WERE BELIEVERS! What an awesome thought! Before His Father's presence. He calls our names and prays for our acceptance even before we walked this earth. Before I knew Him, He knew me! Before I loved Him. He loved me! And mystery of mysteries, before I fell in Adam, my restoration in Christ was assured.

3. He prays for us WHO WILL BELIEVE! Yes, there is no doubt about it; our Lord never prays nor speaks about possibilities, only certainties! "I pray for them WHICH SHALL BELIEVE." Luke wrote in Acts 13:48, "As many as were ordained to eternal life believed" This faith in Christ is certain because it is both the gift of God TO US and the work of God IN US (Eph. 2:8-10).

4. He prays for us WHO SHALL BELIEVE IN HIM THROUGH THE WORD PREACHED! Christ. our Lord, is the great and grand object of faith, but the precious promises of His word is the foundation of our faith. We believe that "He is able to perform all that He promised." The glorious doctrines of God's free and sovereign grace are revealed throughout our Lord's prayer and are evident in all that He says, but in such a way that it is not the doctrine which is exalted, but the Redeemer! And it is not eternaI love which captures our hearts, it is that HE LOVED US eternally, chose us to be His own, and prayed for us.