THE STORY OF JESUS: Matthew 24:15-25
“Pray that your flight will not take place in winter or on the Sabbath.” (Matthew 24:20)
As a follower of Jesus, I believe that prayer is very important.
Here Jesus urges His followers to pray when the tough times come.
He is referring to the upcoming destruction of Jerusalem (AD 70).
Many Christians did flee (to Pella), and survived that horrible day.
Yet notice that Jesus urges His disciples to pray for help THROUGH the crisis.
Normally when a crisis is looming, we pray for God to prevent it.
Yet here Jesus warns that God will allow it, though in a controlled way, and for a shortened time.
Jesus urges His followers then to pray that the day of flight not be cold or a day of rest…
In other words, may their escape be unhindered, may they find a safe way out of the crisis.
God does not always spare us hardship, sometimes the way forward is through the valley of death.
But we should still pray, even when the crisis is a part of God’s plan.
Sometimes He saves us from hardship, sometimes He saves us through hardship.
Jesus prayed for the cup to pass, but He also prayed for God’s help to drink the cup.
A Jesus follower prays for both, and trusts God for both… as Jesus taught us.
What do you sense the Lord saying to you?
PRAYER
Lord, sometimes You deliver me from evil, and sometimes You deliver me through evil. Either way, I can pray to You for whatever I need to make it to the other side.