what he said

i love John 17. I love to hear and read how Jesus prayed for me...really, prayed for us. Thinking about the fact, that as Jesus was preparing himself for the cross, for his glory restored...his prayer was that we might be as unified with him and the Father as they are unified. that's pretty sweet. think about that for a second, the creator of all things desires to be united with you, to reside with you, with us. And something tells me...Jesus' prayers, they were heard...

i loved visiting my grandparents when we both lived in New York. I'd go out there at least once a month on a Sunday night, and spend the night and half of Monday. Grandma would always have spaghetti and meatballs on the oven, no matter if I showed up at 7 or at 10:30. She'd be watching out the window for me and we'd sit around the kitchen table, mugs hanging on the wall, pictures covering the fridge...we'd talk, well, she would talk and I'd eat, sharing in between mouth-fulls. I always sat facing the fridge. I loved seeing that fridge. it was filled with pictures of all my aunts, uncles, cousins, family...the extended family, the ones my grandparents had adopted as famil

y. she called it her prayer fridge...if your picture was on that fridge, you knew Grandma was praying for you. there was no doubt about that.

And every morning as I got out of bed and joined Grandma and the Bishop (what we call Grandpa) for breakfast, we'd eat; Grandpa would read a devotional and then he prayed. There was something about when Grandpa would pray, he'd call out all the family members by name. I'd sit there and marvel at the way he could pray every time with earnestness in his voice. Never were our names mentioned as in rote repetition of a prayer prayed daily...Grandpa would pray with a love and a passion that would call me into that same spirit as we prayed for everyone. Hearing Grandma echo with her 'yes' and 'o Jesus'...i knew, again, that prayer fridge was used for that purpose. it was never rote repetition...it was always real love and real pleas.

And i would be humbled as I sat there and listened to Grandpa pray for me, pray that I would serve Christ with faithfulness. And I also couldn't help but believe that his prayers were being heard. And every time we talk on the phone, one of them will tell me, we're praying for you Nick, and Mandy and the boys...and now baby Mia...every day Nick, every morning we're praying for you. And I know they are.

Thinking about the prayer of Christ and the prayers of these two Disciple-Giants, i'm humbled; these aren't words said because they need said or should be said. These are prayers prayed with expectation, expectations that they will be answered. and for that, i'm thankful. And I'm able to move forward in power and with hope...

Lord, hear our prayer...hear their prayer...hear your prayer...