Encouragement for Today
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February 25, 2025 Jesus Is Praying for You Lee en español |
“Therefore he is able to save completely those who come to God through him, because he always lives to intercede for them.” Hebrews 7:25 (NIV)
I can’t pray anymore.
I tried, but it felt like my prayers were hitting the proverbial ceiling.
Does God even hear me? Does He still care?
Perhaps you’ve gone through seasons like that, too, where you’re discouraged by your inability to pray or you feel like you don’t know what to say. Maybe you’ve tried to make a new habit of praying this year, but you keep getting distracted as your thoughts ping-pong from prayer to your grocery list to that unpaid bill — and it’s so discouraging that you just give up.
Many things keep us from praying. But here’s one good reason to pray anyway: Jesus is praying for and with us.
A few years ago, I stumbled on this quote from Robert Murray M’Cheyne: “If I could hear Christ praying for me in the next room, I would not fear a million enemies. Yet distance makes no difference. He is praying for me.”
The first time I encountered that idea, I felt shocked. Really? Praying for us? That’s a lovely idea, but that’s not in the Bible … is it?
So I searched the Scriptures and was surprised by what I discovered. Hebrews 7:24-25 says: “Because Jesus lives forever, he has a permanent priesthood. Therefore he is able to save completely those who come to God through him, because he always lives to intercede for them” (NIV).
And again in Romans 8:34, the Bible affirms: “Who then is the one who condemns? No one. Christ Jesus who died—more than that, who was raised to life—is at the right hand of God and is also interceding for us” (NIV). It seems clear that Jesus is praying for His people every moment of every day.
I don’t know what Jesus is praying, but we glimpse His tender heart in His high priestly prayer in John 17. The Bible also says even in our sorrow, heartache and darkness, and even when we don’t feel Him, Jesus strengthens us and protects us (2 Thessalonians 3:3).
Even when we don’t know what to say, Jesus is praying for us.
Even when we don’t feel like praying, Jesus is praying for us.
Even when we think our prayers don’t make a difference, Jesus is praying for us.
This one conviction has brought such comfort to my heart on hard days: believing Jesus understands what it’s like to be human and He knows exactly what to pray — even when we don’t.
So let us confidently approach the throne of grace, knowing Jesus Himself is waiting and praying for you, for me and for us.
Precious Jesus, thank You for loving us so much that You care about the details and You pray for us, even now. We join You in our prayers and surrender to You all the hard and heavy burdens in our lives. You are able, and we trust You. In Jesus' Name, Amen.
OUR FAVORITE THINGS
When hard days make it difficult to find the words to pray, we created For the Girl Who Needs Hope: 60 Biblical Prayers for the Hard Moments to get you through. Organized by themes like anxiety, worry, regret and fear, each prayer is grounded in Scripture, inviting the Lord's comfort into every situation. For a limited time, get this prayer book as our thank-you when you give a donation of any amount to Proverbs 31 Ministries! Give now.
Learn more about the heart of Jesus for you and His desire to draw you near in Asheritah’s new book, Delighting in Jesus: Rhythms to Restore Joy When You Feel Burdened, Broken, or Burned-Out. You’ll discover fivejoyful practices in Jesus' life that will awaken your awareness of God’s delight in you and help you turn back to Him even when life gets hard.
ENGAGE
Do you feel distracted when you pray? Learn how to turn those distracting thoughts into prayer prompts with a simple “Palms Down, Palms Up” practice. Asheritah will teach you how in “Jumpstart Your Creative Devotions,” a free, three-video series that’s her gift to you today. Click here to get started.
FOR DEEPER STUDY
Luke 22:31-32, “Simon, Simon, Satan has asked to sift all of you as wheat. But I have prayed for you, Simon, that your faith may not fail. And when you have turned back, strengthen your brothers” (NIV).
Jesus prayed for Simon Peter specifically so that he would endure his hardest night of testing — and he did! If you could hear Jesus praying for you right now, what might He be saying?
We’d love to hear from you! Share your thoughts in the comments.
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Proverbs 31 Ministries
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