I would guess that many of you find yourself praying for your kids, even though they have grown up, moved out, and now have families of their own! You prayed while you were raising them, and now you are still praying even after you've raised them. You pray for them as they parent, as they love their spouse, as they are at their job, while they are now teaching their kids. You pray after you've raised them, as they are now raising other kids.

‌Making Disciples has a lot of parenting aspects to it too.

You pray as you prepare to disciple someone, you pray while you are discipling them, and you pray after you've discipled them as they disciple others.‌ You become a spiritual parent to these children of God.

Jesus Prays Four Things for His Disciples:‌

1) They may be protected by the power of God’s name (v.11-12)‌

2) They may be united (v.11)‌

3) They may be delighted, experiencing the full measure of Christ’s joy (v.13)

4) They may be dedicated (v.17-19)‌

[Source: NIV Bible Speaks Today]

Jesus spends a lot of his last hours praying for the disciples to come… including you, me, brothers and sisters in Christ, communities and neighborhoods that would become disciples of Jesus through the words spoken through disciples!

Praying for these disciples is encouraging too, for them!!

How encouraging was it when you found out someone has been praying for you, and then to hear what they were praying for you, and then to see those prayers play out?!

As fellow disciples, pray for each other… pray as we each disciple!

Jesus, Paul, and many other disciples prayed for each other… before they discipled, as they discipled, and prayed for those disciples as they would disciple other people.

Today, we continue to pray before we disciple, as we are discipling, and for those disciples as they disciple.