“I do not ask that you take them out of the world, but that you keep them from the evil one” (John 17:15).
This is another part of a prayer Jesus offers on behalf of his disciples. Even though Jesus has every right to only pray about himself in these final hours, he finds the compassion to pray for others. Here, Jesus prays that God might keep the disciples from the evil one.
Andrew Lincoln notes that in this part of the prayer, Jesus demonstrates “the two antithetical spheres of power operative in the world.” Positively, Jesus prays that the disciples would be guarded by the Father’s power. Negatively, Jesus prays that the disciples would be protected from Satan’s power. In other words, Satan is real. He is active. And prayer is one of the primary ways in which we combat his reality and his activity. Not by our own power. But by the Father’s power.
Consider the many ways in which Satan may wish to harm, hurt, and harass Highland so that God’s next big thing never happens. Pray for God to keep Highland from the evil one.
