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PRAYER FOR THE WEEK
Jesus, teach me to spend at least as much time praying for other people as I do for myself! Amen.

Jesus prayed alone in a garden: "Father, the hour has come. I did the work you gave me; I taught people about you. I pray for them, because they're staying in the world while I'm coming back to heaven to be with you. Keep them in your name, so they'll be as close to you as I am."

Who do you pray for? Lots of kids have a list: "God bless Mom and Dad and my sister and my dog and Grandma and Grandpa and...."

But you might spend a lot of time praying for yourself. You ask for help with tests; you pray that a mean kid will be nice (or move away); you hope you'll get the present you most want for your birthday.

Jesus prayed the other way around. This week's Gospel (John 17:1-11) is a good example.

Jesus has gone off to pray. It's just before He is arrested and crucified. He knows that's going to happen. He must be terrified.

You'd expect Jesus to focus on Himself. He does pray for strength - but He mostly asks God the Father to take care of His followers.

Jesus knows He'll be going back to heaven, but His disciples will be staying on Earth. They'll be carrying on Jesus' work when He's gone, teaching people about God. That's an enormous job!

Sometimes, you pray for other people because they're important in your life. You might pray for your grandmother to get over being sick because you like visiting her.

Jesus prays for people because He loves them, but also because He worries about them and wants them to be well and happy. It's not just about what they can do for Him; Jesus loves them for who they are.

Next time you pray for all the people on your list, think about why you're praying -- and how much time you spend praying for yourself instead of other people. If Jesus could pray for others at a terrible time in His life, you can spare a few extra prayers for other people, too![[In-content Ad]]

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