So they took away the stone. Then Jesus looked up and said, “Father, I thank you that you have heard me. I knew that you always hear me, but I said this for the benefit of the people standing here, that they may believe that you sent me.” When he had said this, Jesus called in a loud voice, “Lazarus, come out!” The dead man came out, his hands and feet wrapped with strips of linen, and a cloth around his face. -John 11:41-44 NRSV
How interesting the way that Jesus prays before he raises his friend. You get the impression that Jesus had already prayed and understood that it was God's will to bring Lazarus back to life. In other places Jesus speaks of only doing what he sees the Father doing. Through prayer Jesus seemed to have a close and intimate connection with God.
It speaks to me of the importance of training our senses, through prayer, to be aware of the presence of God. Instead of walking through life reacting to our circumstances these verses call us to be "prayed up" and sensitive to the voice and heart of the Father. In a sense, prayer prepares our heart for the things that come our way as we walk with Him.
Dear Lord, open our senses up that we might with Jesus say: "Father, I thank you that you have heard me."
... this devotion is part of an ongoing series on the Gospel of John.
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