Jesus Christ is praying for you.

A call to worship.

Themes

Jesus intercedes • Great High Priest • Prayer • The gift of the Holy Spirit • The Spirit in us • Weakness • Sorrow • Sickness • Failure • Suffering • The love of God

As we sit here wondering just how we ought to pray, sitting here with our desires, uncertain how to speak of them, we find that we have someone who is already praying for us, with us, and in us — Jesus himself. 

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Scripture reading

Luke 22:31–32
John 21:15–16
Romans 8:26, 34–39
Hebrews 7:24–25

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This call to worship¹ comes from a couple of conversations that Jesus had with Simon Peter. This first one was before his crucifixion: 

“Simon, Simon,” Jesus said, 
“behold Satan demanded to have you—
to separate you from Me 
like chaff from the wheat, 
but I have prayed for you. 
I have prayed for you
that your faith does not fail — 
that you do not give in 
our give out. 
And when you have come through 
the time of testing, 
you will turn to your companions 
and you will strengthen them. 

This second conversation with Peter was after Jesus’ resurrection: 

 After breakfast, 
Jesus asked Simon Peter, 
“Simon, do you love Me?” 
“Yes, Lord,” Peter replied, 
“You know I love You.”
“Then feed My lambs,” Jesus told him.
Then Jesus repeated the question: 
“Simon, do you love Me?”
“Yes, Lord,” Peter said, 
“You know I love You.”
“Then take care of My sheep,” 
Jesus said.

As a reflection on these exchanges between Jesus and Peter, here’s something that Paul wrote in his letter to the Romans, and also something that the writer to the Hebrews wrote:

The Holy Spirit helps us
in our weaknesses. 
We don’t know 
what God wants us to pray for. 
But the Holy Spirit prays for us 
with groanings 
that cannot be expressed in words.

Christ Jesus died for us 
and was raised to life for us, 
and He is sitting in the place of honor 
at God’s right hand, 
pleading for us.
Can anything ever separate us 
from Christ’s love? 
Does it mean that He no longer loves us 
if we have trouble 
or calamity, 
or are persecuted, 
or hungry, 
or destitute, 
or in danger, 
or threatened with death? 

No! 

Despite all these things, 
overwhelming victory is ours 
through Christ, 
who loves us.
And I am convinced 
that nothing can ever separate us 
from God’s love. 
Neither death nor life, 
neither angels nor demons, 
neither our fears for today 
nor our worries about tomorrow — 
not even the powers of hell 
can separate us from God’s love. 
No power in the sky above 
or in the earth below — 
indeed, nothing in all of fallen creation 
will ever be able to separate us 
from the love of God 
that is revealed 
in Christ Jesus our Lord.

And finally, from the book of Hebrews:

Because Jesus lives forever, 
His priesthood lasts forever. 
He lives forever 
to intercede with God on our behalf.

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Prayer

God our Father in heaven, 
in Jesus Christ, 
we have somebody 
who knows all about this — 
this cancer, 
this infection, 
this surgery, 
this chemo treatment, 
this postpartum struggle, 
this fight with our kid, 
this fight with our parent,
this wayward child,
this uncertainty,
this discontentment about life, 
this damaged heart, 
this mutated gene, 
this tiredness and exhaustion, 
this failed conversation, 
this hernia, 
this fight with alcohol, 
this painful abuse, 
this kidney stone, 
this big decision, 
this grieving.

Jesus carries all our sorrows, 
all our sin, 
all our sickness, 
all our failures. 
He has been through it — 
suffering, 
death, 
and separation — 
and He will carry us through it 
into resurrected life. 

Father, we have been wanting to pray, 
trying to pray, 
and not knowing how to pray. 
But in Jesus Christ, 
we have someone
who is praying for us. 
He has heard our groans 
and our silence, 
and He is interceding for us 
and with us 
and in us. 

We don’t know what to pray, Father, 
but the Holy Spirit knows all about us, 
and He is right now 
interpreting our desires 
and our groans 
and our longings, 
and He is interceding for us 
and leading us gracefully
tenderly to You.

Loving God, our Father, 
You have given us Christ, 
and You have given us Your Spirit 
to draw us to You. 
And here we are, 
right now, 
in prayer. 
And Jesus Christ, 
our great high priest, 
is right now 
touched by the feeling of our infirmities, 
and He is interceding for us, 
and He is opening our hearts
as we sit here — 
opening our hearts 
by the Spirit 
who is in us, 
sitting within us. 

Father, direct us this morning 
to Jesus Christ, 
that we might look to Him. 
Open our hearts, 
and draw us by the Spirit 
into His own eternal life 
of communion with You.

And as we sit here 
wondering just how we ought to pray, 
sitting here with our desires, 
uncertain how to speak of them, 
we find that we have someone 
who is already praying for us, 
with us, 
and in us — 
Jesus Himself. 
And through His prayers for us, 
He motivates us to pray, 
teaches us to pray, 
and He takes our feeble, 
and selfish, 
and inarticulate prayers, 
and He cleanses them, 
and makes them His prayers, 
and in a beautiful exchange, Father, 
He makes His perfect prayers for us, 
our own prayers, 
and presents us to You 
as Your dear children. 

In the name of Jesus Christ, 
who stands in for us, 
to do for us, 
and in us, 
what we try to do 
and fail to do, 
who lives forever to intercede for us, 
and who gives us the gift of the Spirit 
to share in His very own intercessions, 
Amen.  

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Inspiring resources

A call to worship creates wonderment, amazement, curiosity, yearning, captivation, provocation, hopefulness, thankfulness, affection, rapture, delight. As these mix together, the response is worship.

If this call to worship leaves you wondering or curious or provoked or hopeful, consider diving into this awesome book that inspired me.

1. This call to worship was given to the small assembly of Christians that gathered in Pathway Church, Beaverdam, Michigan, on Sunday, March 27, 2022.