Remember how the Lord your God led you all the way in the wilderness these forty years, to humble and test you in order to know what was in your heart, whether or not you would keep his commands. He humbled you, causing you to hunger and then feeding you with manna, which neither you nor your ancestors had known, to teach you that man does not live on bread alone but on every word that comes from the mouth of the Lord.  Your clothes did not wear out and your feet did not swell during these forty years.” (Dt 8:2-4)
Today, I would like to share God’s word under the theme, "God Who Becomes a Way in the Wilderness."
One of the words we frequently use when sharing our lives is wilderness. When faced with difficult hardships or trials in life, we often say, "I feel like I am in the wilderness right now," or "I feel like God has placed me in a wilderness."
And it’s not just us. Countless people of God recorded in the Bible spent time in the wilderness. The Israelites were also listening to Moses preach in the wilderness. Then, why does God not always keep His people in green pastures, but sometimes makes them walk the paths of the wilderness?
 
Misconceptions About the Wilderness
Before answering this question, there are misconceptions about the wilderness that we need to address first.
The first misconception concerns the reason, purpose, and period of the wilderness. When encountering wilderness-like seasons, some Christians think that God has placed them there because they did something wrong.
Of course, there is some truth to this. For the first generation of the Exodus, the 40 years in the wilderness was a time of judgment. Because they disobeyed God's command at Kadesh to enter the Promised Land, they wandered in the wilderness for 40 years as a punishment and all perished.
However, that 40-year period in the wilderness was not what God had originally planned. The time God initially intended to train the Israelites in the wilderness was not that long.
The wilderness journey of the Israelites began immediately after the Exodus. After delivering them from Egypt through the ten plagues and the parting of the Red Sea, God led them straight to Mount Sinai. The journey from the Exodus to Mount Sinai took a total of two months. Exodus 19:1 says,
 “On the first day of the third month after the Israelites left Egypt - on that very day - they came to the Desert of Sinai.” (Ex 19:1)
Mount Sinai was a very important place because God made a covenant with the Israelites there. At that very moment, God and the Israelites entered into an official relationship. God became their God, and the people of Israel became His people. In a sense, Mount Sinai was like a wedding venue. God became the bridegroom, and the people of Israel became His bride.
After making the covenant with the Israelites, God gave them the Law to follow as His people. He also commanded them to build the Tabernacle. The Tabernacle was a symbol of God's presence.
It took about 10 months to complete the Tabernacle. This is Exodus 40:17:
 “So the tabernacle was set up on the first day of the first month in the second year.” (Ex 40:17)
Here, "the second year" refers to the second year starting from the day the Israelites left Egypt. Since they reached Mount Sinai on the third month after the Exodus, and the Tabernacle was set up on the first day of the first month of the second year, it is estimated that it took about 10 months from their arrival at Mount Sinai to the completion of the Tabernacle.
When the Tabernacle was completed, the glory of God covered it. About two months later, the cloud began to lift from the Tabernacle. It was a signal to set out. Finally, having made all preparations, the Israelites began to march toward the Promised Land.
Afterward, God led the Israelites to a region called Kadesh Barnea. It was located on the southern border of Canaan, serving as the gateway into the Promised Land.
To summarize up to this point, we can see that the time God originally planned for the Israelites to stay in the wilderness was not that long. The entire period was only about a year and a half, and they spent most of that time learning God's Word and building the Tabernacle at Mount Sinai rather than wandering around.
In other words, the purpose of the wilderness originally planned by God was training, not punishment. The time for the Israelites to prepare as God's people in the wilderness was a relatively short period—less than two years.
Then why do we perceive the wilderness as a place of long-term punishment? As mentioned earlier, it is because the Israelites disobeyed God's command to enter and conquer the Promised Land at Kadesh. Since the spies they sent explored the land for a total of 40 days, God counted one day as one year, causing them to stay and die in the wilderness for a total of 40 years.
However, that applied only to the first generation of the Exodus, not to the generation of their children. The second generation of the Exodus refers to those who were under 20 years old when God made the covenant with Israel at Mount Sinai, or those who were born in the wilderness.
For them, the wilderness was not a place of "punishment" but a time of "training." During these 40 years, they experienced who God is. Within His provision and faithfulness, they were built up as God’s people who relied only on Him, loved Him, and followed Him.
Still, the reason the training lasted so long was fundamentally due to the rebellion of the first generation. The wilderness training originally planned by God is not that long. These are the facts we need to know about the wilderness. The wilderness is fundamentally a space for training, and that training does not last a lifetime.
Another misconception about the wilderness is that once the wilderness season passes, everything will automatically work out well and prosperity will follow. This misconception also stems from understanding the wilderness solely as a place of "judgment." When the Israelites finished their wilderness journey and entered the Promised Land, what awaited them was not immediate rest, but a fierce war of conquest.
 
In fact, that was the very reason God did not lead the Israelites straight to Canaan after the Exodus but trained them in the wilderness first. What is the purpose of the Exodus? When many people think about the Exodus, they only think of liberation from "slavery."
No, that is not the case. The reason God brought the Israelites out of Egypt was to punish the Canaanite nations, who were full of sin at that time, and to establish His kingdom there based on His Word and will.
How could Israel, who had lived as slaves until now, handle such a task? How could they build God's kingdom without knowing His will?
That is why God did not lead them straight to the land of Canaan after the Exodus, but first trained them in the wilderness. He made a covenant with them, gave them the Law, allowed them to experience His presence through the Tabernacle, His provision through manna and springs in the desert, and His protection and guidance through the pillar of fire and cloud.
Only then would they stand firm as God's people without wavering when they entered Canaan, enabling them to build God's kingdom in that land.
This principle also applies to our salvation. Just as God's purpose in delivering Israel from Egypt was not simply to free them from slavery but to make them His holy covenant people and establish His kingdom in the sin-filled land of Canaan, God saved us from slavery to sin and Satan through the precious blood of Jesus Christ to equip us with the Word of God and the power of the Holy Spirit, so that we may go out into this dark world and establish His kingdom. Salvation itself is not the final destination.
The important question for us is not only "Salvation from what?" but also "Salvation for what?" If we do not know the purpose of this salvation, we may fail to properly understand what the salvation God gives us is, and what mission He has entrusted to us.
Then why does God sometimes make us pass through the wilderness? Is it because we sinned and He wants to judge us? No. The wilderness is God's space of grace and His boot camp, where He establishes and trains us as His people. If we know and believe this truth, we can still give thanks to God even at the moment we are in the wilderness, moving forward with expectation for what He will do.
 
Three Absences in the Wilderness
Then, how does God train us in the wilderness? He trains us through lack. The wilderness is a place where three types of absences exist.
 
1) Uncertainty
First, the wilderness is a place where the future is uncertain. Do you want to live a life where your future is securely guaranteed, or a vague life where you cannot foresee even an inch ahead? We like certainty. We want everything to go exactly according to our plans because it gives us a sense of security. That is a basic human desire.
However, if everything in our life is certain and there is zero uncertainty, there is someone who becomes unnecessary in our lives. God. If everything is certain and there are no variables, we would have no need to seek God.
The wilderness was a place where nothing was certain. They did not know where they had to go tomorrow or what they had to do. Sometimes they stayed in one place for over a year, but other times they had to pack up their tents and move after just one day.
 And God did not tell them the reasons for moving. Even if it did not make sense, they simply repeated the cycle: when the cloud lifted, they packed their tents and moved, and when the cloud settled again, they pitched their tents.
Yet, it was precisely because of that uncertainty that the Israelites sought God even more. They relied more deeply on the Word of God’s promise. By allowing them to spend times that were incomprehensible, uncertain, and anxious, God made them rely on and experience Him even more as the only Way.
Therefore, everyone, if you feel like you are currently in a vague situation where the future is unclear and you cannot see an inch ahead, please do not fear but expect great things from God. Look forward even more to what God will do in your life and how He will work. God will become your inheritance. God will become your certainty. That certainty is far more secure than any certainty this world can guarantee us.
However, that assurance can only be obtained when we look only to God and trust Him completely. God sometimes makes us pass through uncertain times to give us that very assurance.
 
2) Scarcity
Secondly, the wilderness is a place of lack. Do you prefer abundance, or do you prefer lack? You might think, "What kind of question is that? Of course, abundance is better." I feel the same way. I like abundance because it provides security.
However, the 40-year wilderness life of the Israelites was far from abundant. The wilderness was a place where there was not enough food or water, nor proper clothing to protect their bodies from extreme temperatures. In terms of survival, the wilderness was the worst possible place.
The Israelites actually experienced lack in the wilderness. God did give them food and water, but He did not give it to them in overflowing abundance.
When God gave them manna, He gave them a rule to follow, which is very interesting. God allowed them to gather only the amount they needed for that day and no more. If even a day passed, the manna gathered the previous day would rot away.
Why did God use such a cumbersome method? Wouldn't it have been easier for God if He had let them gather and store a month's or a year's worth at once? He would only have to give it once then, not everyday.
Yet, instead of giving a large amount of manna at once, God chose the method of giving only enough for each day. At first, the Israelites gathered much more than they needed for the day because of their fear of survival. Thinking, "When will we ever find food again in this wilderness?" they probably tried to store as much as possible while it was available.
However, God made all that extra stored manna rot. And every morning, He gave them fresh manna. People who initially gathered more than necessary out of survival anxiety gradually felt no need to do so over time. Why? Because they knew it would be there when they went out the next morning anyway.
That is what the Israelites learned while gathering manna every morning: even if they currently had no food for tomorrow, God would surely provide it the next day.
God repeated this not for a day, a week, or a month, but for 40 years. God never once failed to feed them. In this way, through their lack, the Israelites experienced the goodness, faithfulness, and power of God, who became their abundance.
This is something someone in an abundant environment can rarely experience. The reason God made the Israelites experience lack in the wilderness was not to torment them, but to prevent them from relying on visible food and water, guiding them to rely more on God.
Thus, they received a blessing far greater than being full of food or having their physical thirst quenched by overflowing water—which is experiencing God, who is the true bread and eternal living water, relying on Him, and living within His Word. Their experience in the wilderness would serve as the driving force to keep relying only on God, even when they later entered Canaan, the manna ceased, and they experienced the abundance God provided.
Therefore, when you face any kind of lack in your life, rather than complaining and resenting it, I hope you will look forward to what God will do and the blessings He will give through those challenges. God's thoughts toward us are not of disaster, but of peace. God knows our needs and fills them. However, God wants us to seek Him first rather than the blessings He will give, because He Himself is the source of true blessing.
 
3) A Place to Stay
Lastly, the wilderness is a place with no permanent space to settle. Do you like to settle down in one place, or do you like to wander around without a place to stay?
We prefer having a stable, settled home over living like strangers. However, the life of the Israelites in the wilderness was not like that. They kept wandering, constantly pitching and packing up tents in the desert. There was no place to settle, and they had no idea when they would have to leave or where their next stop would be.
It is truly despairing to have no proper place to rest in an environment filled with all kinds of wild beasts and venomous insects, extreme heat by day, extreme cold by night, and occasional sandstorms.
Yet, God made the Israelites live for 40 years in such a wilderness, exposed to all kinds of dangers. By doing so, God allowed them to experience that true protection and safety come only from Him. Though they had no safe, sturdy house to protect them, God Himself dwelt among them, becoming a house and a fortress far safer and stronger than any physical dwelling.
 
These are the three characteristics of the wilderness. The wilderness is a place where the future is unclear, everything is lacking, and there is no place to stay. However, the Israelites were closest to God when they experienced the most severe lack.
Because they did not know where to go tomorrow, they had no choice but to be sensitive to God's guidance. They constantly kept a close eye on when the pillar of cloud would lift and where it would head. Because they could not obtain food and water on their own, they relied even more on God's provision. They lived like wandering strangers, but because of that, they were always ready to leave their temporary dwelling and walk together with God.
In this way, God became their future, their abundance, and their refuge in the wilderness. The wilderness was a place where everything was lacking, but there, the Israelites gained the most precious thing of all: they experienced the living God. To let them experience this very truth, God made the Israelites walk the path of the wilderness for a short time. Therefore, the wilderness is a place of grace and a place of blessing.
 
This is Deuteronomy 2:7:
 “The Lord your God has blessed you in all the work of your hands. He has watched over your journey through this vast wilderness. These forty years the Lord your God has been with you, and you have not lacked anything.” (Dt 2:7)
When we pass through wilderness moments, God knows it and is with us. He guides us with His Word, gives us our daily bread, and becomes our rock of refuge. The greatest blessing given to us is not the certainty of the future, material abundance, or a house that provides rest, but God alone, who is our eternal life and inheritance.
Therefore, even when we feel like we are passing through a wilderness in our lives, we can step forward boldly without fear or anxiety. It is because we believe in God, who is always with us, knows our needs and fills them, guides our steps, and makes a way in the wilderness.
At the end of this wilderness training, Moses said to the Israelites: Let us read today's main passage together once more.
 “Remember how the Lord your God led you all the way in the wilderness these forty years, to humble and test you in order to know what was in your heart, whether or not you would keep his commands. He humbled you, causing you to hunger and then feeding you with manna, which neither you nor your ancestors had known, to teach you that man does not live on bread alone but on every word that comes from the mouth of the Lord.  Your clothes did not wear out and your feet did not swell during these forty years.” (Dt 8:2-4)
Moses added this as well. Let us read verses 14 through 16 together.
 “The Lord your God brought you out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery. He led you through the vast and dreadful wilderness, that thirsty and waterless land, with its venomous snakes and scorpions. He brought you water out of hard rock. He gave you manna to eat in the wilderness, something your ancestors had never known, to humble and test you so that in the end it might go well with you.” (Dt. 8:14-16)
The reason God made the Israelites spend 40 years in the wilderness was to train them to rely on and experience Him more. This was so that later, even after they entered the Promised Land and enjoyed the abundant and stable life God provided, they would remember God, the true source of all things, and continue to humbly rely on Him and live according to His Word.
This is God's training. That God sometimes places us in situations of uncertainty, lack, and anxiety is not an expression of His indifference, but of His care; it is not abandonment, but an expression of His love.
This is the true blessing that I hope all of us here today will experience. If we want to become true people of God and carry out the work of establishing His kingdom on this earth, we must first know and experience who He is. For this purpose, God sometimes places us in situations of uncertainty, discomfort, and lack.
If you are passing through such a season, please do not fear or worry. Rather, I hope you will view it as an opportunity to experience God's goodness and faithfulness. Remember that God's plans for us are not for disaster, but always to give us blessings, hope, and a future.
At this time, I pray that all of us will stand firm on the knowledge of God and the word of truth, experiencing who He is in every situation. May we be built up as true people of God who, with unshakable faith in Him, establish His kingdom wherever we go and whatever situation we face.
 
[Closing Prayer]
Heavenly Father, thank You for speaking to us today through Your Word of life and letting us realize Your will. Lord, at this moment, we confess that You alone are the true blessing, life, and inheritance of our lives.
Please train us as Your soldiers to establish Your kingdom on this earth. When we face situations where we feel like we are passing through a wilderness, help us remember that it is a time when God is giving us grace.
Instead of complaining, let us come with thanksgiving; instead of despairing, let us come with expectation, trusting and relying on You even more. May we experience God, who is our true hope, abundance, and inheritance.
We desire to be trained by Your Word and Presence. Lord, You have entrusted us with the mission of establishing God's kingdom. Please continue to nurture us with Your Word in our lives, fill us with Your presence, and let us live victoriously as Your holy children in this dark world.
We confess that You alone are the source of true blessing in our lives. In the new week ahead, let us trust and rely only on You, walk with You, and establish God's kingdom in every area where You have sent us.
We thank You for all these things, and we pray in the name of Jesus Christ. Amen.
 
 
[Reflection Questions]
1. Among the three types of lack that the Israelites experienced in the wilderness—uncertainty, scarcity, and having no safe place to stay—which one are you experiencing most deeply in your life right now? How do you think God is working in your life through this situation, and what kind of God does He want you to discover during this season?
 
2. The reason God saved us and leads us through His spiritual boot camp in the wilderness is to establish His kingdom on this earth. Share one specific way you can build God's kingdom this week in the place where He has sent you (family, workplace, school, etc.).

“Therefore, holy brothers and sisters, who share in the heavenly calling, fix your thoughts on Jesus, whom we acknowledge as our apostle and high priest. He was faithful to the one who appointed him, just as Moses was faithful in all God’s house. Jesus has been found worthy of greater honor than Moses, just as the builder of a house has greater honor than the house itself. For every house is built by someone, but God is the builder of everything. “Moses was faithful as a servant in all God’s house,” bearing witness to what would be spoken by God in the future. But Christ is faithful as the Son over God’s house. And we are his house, if indeed we hold firmly to our confidence and the hope in which we glory.” (Heb 3:1-6)
 
Review
We are currently sharing about the Ascension of Jesus Christ.
 
The Significance of the Ascension of Jesus Christ
1. The Enthronement as the Ruler of All Creation
The first truth we learn through the ascension of Jesus Christ is that He is the true King of the entire universe. When Jesus Christ first came to this earth, He came in the form of a servant and died on the cross. However, God, by His power, raised Him from the dead, exalted Him to heaven, and seated Him at His right hand. God gave Him the name that is above every name, and all authority to rule and judge the entire world.
 
2. Christ Becoming the Eternal High Priest
The ascension of Jesus Christ also marked the beginning of His ministry as our eternal High Priest. Through His ascension, Jesus entered the true, heavenly sanctuary ahead of us. Over the past three sermons, we have looked at the ministries He performs as our High Priest.
 
The Ministry of Christ as High Priest
1. Christ the Reconciler
First, as our High Priest, Jesus reconciled us with God. In the Old Testament era, the most important role of the high priest was to enter the Most Holy Place once a year on the Day of Atonement, carrying the blood of a goat, to atone for the sins of all the people of Israel.
However, atonement through the blood and death of animals was imperfect. Therefore, the Day of Atonement had to be repeated every year, and the way into the Most Holy Place remained blocked by the veil.
But as our eternal High Priest, the atonement Jesus Christ accomplished once and for all on the cross was perfect and eternal. This is because the sacrifice He offered for atonement was not an animal, but Himself.
Because He is inherently God and is the Word of God through whom all things were made, the atonement He completed through His blood and death on the cross was more than enough to forgive the sins of all people in all generations.
This is exactly what it meant when the veil of the temple was torn from top to bottom at the moment Jesus died on the cross. It signifies that the atonement of Jesus Christ was perfect, and because of it, we have now been made fully righteous.
We can now go beyond the veil, directly into the presence of God—before His throne. That throne is not in an earthly sanctuary built by human hands, but in the heavenly sanctuary built by God Himself.
 
Hebrews 10:19–22 says,
"Therefore, brothers and sisters, since we have confidence to enter the Most Holy Place by the blood of Jesus, by a new and living way opened for us through the curtain, that is, his body, and since we have a great priest over the house of God, let us draw near to God with a sincere heart and with the full assurance that faith brings, having our hearts sprinkled to cleanse us from a guilty conscience and having our bodies washed with pure water." (Hebrews 10:19–22)
 
2. Christ the Intercessor
The second ministry Jesus performs as our High Priest is interceding for us. Although Jesus is not physically here on earth with us, He is still constantly praying for us at the right hand of the throne of God.
Hebrews 7:24–25 says,
"But 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." (Hebrews 7:24–25)
One of the vital duties of the Old Testament high priests was to pray for the people of Israel. However, none of them could carry out that duty forever, because death prevented them from continuing their ministry.
But Jesus Christ is different. He tasted death, but He conquered it, and He is alive forevermore. Jesus Christ’s ministry of intercession for us is never interrupted. Even at those moments when we are too busy with various circumstances, or when we lose even the strength to pray—crushed by the worries of the world and the burden of our sins—and even when we feel completely alone, Jesus is still there, praying for us.
 
3. Christ, Who Helps Us in Our Weakness
In the last session, we looked at the third ministry of Jesus Christ as our Great High Priest. Jesus is helping us from the right hand of the throne of God. This is from Hebrews 4:14–16:
"Since then we have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus, the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession. For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin. Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need." (Hebrews 4:14–16)
Jesus Christ is more than sufficient to help us. This is because He fully understands us and possesses the absolute power to help us.
By nature, Jesus is equal to God. However, He limited all His heavenly glory and privileges, emptied Himself, and came to this earth clothed in a human body just like ours. Jesus, who is fully God, became fully man. The virgin birth of Jesus Christ clearly demonstrates this. Just as His conception by the Holy Spirit reveals His perfect divinity, His birth as a fragile, helpless baby demonstrates His perfect humanity.
It is profoundly important that Jesus possesses both perfect divinity and perfect humanity. Because He is fully God, He is without sin. Therefore, the atonement He accomplished through His own blood and death—by offering His body as a sacrifice on the cross—is perfect, and its effect is eternal.
Furthermore, because He was fully human, He can completely understand us, including our weaknesses, and He is able to help us.
Jesus faced the exact same temptations that we encounter. Before officially beginning His ministry, Jesus fasted for 40 days in the wilderness and was tempted three times by Satan; all of these temptations were directly related to our basic human needs and desires.
While Jesus stayed in the wilderness and fasted for 40 days, His physiological needs, safety needs, and need for belonging were put to the test. However, Jesus rebuffed Satan’s temptation to "turn stones into bread" by relying on the Word of God.
Satan’s second and third temptations were related to our needs for 'esteem' and 'self-actualization.' Yet, Jesus had absolutely no interest in receiving esteem from anyone or fulfilling His own self. This was because He was already fully esteemed within His relationship with the Heavenly Father, and He was overflowing with the ultimate joy and satisfaction that came from His sonship.
In this way, under the extreme conditions of the wilderness, Jesus faced every temptation related to basic human desires. However, He did not yield to human wants; instead, He chose the Word of God and His divine will, successfully passing through every single test.
As such, Jesus knows exactly what desires we have and how vulnerable we are to them. Even now, He prays for us and helps us from the right hand of God's throne so that we do not stumble into our fleshly and sinful desires. He grants us the strength to overcome all those temptations and win the victory, filling us completely with the joy and satisfaction that only He can provide.
This is precisely why, especially when we are weak, we must draw even closer before Christ—our Eternal High Priest—and before His throne of grace. For it is only there that we can obtain the grace of Jesus Christ, who helps us in all our circumstances and in our every time of need.
 
 
4. Christ, Who Builds the House
Today, we will look at the final ministry that Jesus performs for us as our Eternal High Priest: building the house.
Let us read Hebrews 3:1–6 together:
"Therefore, holy brothers, you who share in a heavenly calling, consider Jesus, the apostle and high priest of our confession, who was faithful to him who appointed him, just as Moses also was faithful in all God's house. For Jesus has been counted worthy of more glory than Moses—as much more glory as the builder of a house has more honor than the house itself. (For every house is built by someone, but the builder of all things is God.) Now Moses was faithful in all God's house as a servant, to testify to the things that were to be spoken later, but Christ is faithful over God's house as a son. And we are his house, if indeed we hold fast our confidence and our boasting in our hope." (Hebrews 3:1–6) 
 
Christ, Superior to Moses
In this passage, the author turns the readers' attention to Jesus Christ as our High Priest, emphasizing and explaining His superiority through a comparison with Moses.
While Jewish history features many great figures, Moses is one who is never left out. Through Moses, God delivered the Israelites from Pharaoh's oppression. Through Moses, God gave His Law and the Ten Commandments to the people of Israel. The Pentateuch—comprising Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy—is collectively called the 'Torah' and is regarded as the most crucial part of the Old Testament.
Even after the Israelites left Egypt, Moses faithfully led them through the wilderness for forty years. He constantly prayed to God on behalf of a people who repeatedly rebelled, complained, grumbled, and even tried to stone him to death. He faithfully guided them to the very end.
 
Yet, what the author of Hebrews points out is that even this great figure, Moses, cannot be compared to Jesus Christ.
 
The House of God
Let's read Hebrews 3:2–4:
"He was faithful to him who appointed him, just as Moses also was faithful in all God's house. For Jesus has been counted worthy of more glory than Moses—as much more glory as the builder of a house has more honor than the house itself. (For every house is built by someone, but the builder of all things is God.)" (Hebrews 3:2–4) 
Moses was faithful in all of God's house. Here, "God's house" refers to God's people. But, why are God's people described as a house? There are two main reasons.
First, the Greek word translated as house here is 'Oikos', which referred not only to a physical building but also to the family living inside it. Therefore, when God calls His people His "house," it means He has adopted us into His own family.
Second, God’s people are described as a house because each believer becomes a dwelling place where God’s presence resides. In the Old Testament, God dwelt in the Tabernacle, but that temporary arrangement was due to human sin. God's ultimate purpose is for each of us to become a holy temple fit for His habitation. This is the true blueprint of the house God desires to build, and Jesus Christ came to this earth as a faithful High Priest to finish this house.
The Apostle Paul wrote in 1 Corinthians 3:16–17:
"Do you not know that you are God's temple and that God's Spirit dwells in you? If anyone destroys God's temple, God will destroy him. For God's temple is holy, and you are that temple." (1 Corinthians 3:16–17)
On what grounds can Paul declare that Christians have become God’s temple? In the temple, the most crucial area was the Most Holy Place, because that was where God's direct presence manifested.
Inside the Most Holy Place stood what was considered God's throne—the space above the Ark of the Covenant, known as the 'Mercy Seat.' And inside this Ark were the tablets of the Covenant, the words of the agreement God made with Israel.
However, this physical Ark of the Covenant has disappeared. Where, then, does God dwell today? The answer is that God sits upon the throne inside the heart of every believer. The author of Hebrews urges us to draw near boldly to the throne of grace to find help in our time of need. But if the Ark is gone, how can we find that throne, and how can we approach it?
 
The New Covenant
The answer to this question lies in the 'New Covenant.' When the Kingdom of Judah was on the brink of destruction by Babylon, God spoke to the prophet Jeremiah:
"Behold, the days are coming, declares the Lord, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and the house of Judah, not like the covenant that I made with their fathers on the day when I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt, my covenant that they broke, though I was their husband, declares the Lord. For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, declares the Lord: I will put my law within them, and I will write it on their hearts. And I will be their God, and they shall be my people." (Jeremiah 31:31–33)
This is the essence of the New Covenant. The core distinction of this New Covenant is where the Word of God is written. Under the Old Covenant, God's Word was carved onto stone tablets and kept inside the Ark. Wherever that Ark rested, God’s throne was established. But that was a holy place, entirely inaccessible to sinners.
Under the New Covenant, however, God's covenant word is no longer written on a stone. It is inscribed upon each of our hearts. What does this mean? It means that every single one of us becomes a dwelling place for God. A throne for God is established right inside our hearts. This is precisely why the author of Hebrews tells us that we can boldly approach His throne at any given moment.
Yet, for God's law to be directly engraved onto our hearts, one prerequisite was absolutely vital: the perfect forgiveness of sins, which is atonement because sin is the greatest barrier preventing us from having a direct relationship with God.
To solve this very problem—to establish us as God's complete house and a temple of His presence, to reconcile us to God, and to make us members of His family and His children—Jesus Christ came to this earth.
In the Old Testament, when God made a covenant with the Israelites through Moses at Mount Sinai, the instruments used were the word of the covenant and the blood of the covenant. Likewise, in the New Testament, when sinners enter into a covenant with God, this covenant blood is still required. The critical difference is that in the New Testament era, we no longer seal our covenant with God through the blood of animals; instead, we enter a covenant relationship through the blood of His Son, Jesus Christ.
During the Last Supper, as Jesus broke the bread and passed the cup to His disciples, He said:
"For this is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins." (Matthew 26:28)
Notice that Jesus did not merely call the blood He would spill on the cross the 'blood of forgiveness,' but rather the 'blood of the covenant.' This reveals the ultimate purpose of His crucifixion. It was to make us God's covenant people. Forgiveness of sins was the necessary condition to achieve that end.
By bleeding and dying on the cross, Jesus tore down the wall of sin that blocked our way to God, reconciling us to Him. Through Jesus Christ, we gained access to God and welcomed Him into our hearts. And now, God writes His covenant words upon our hearts. He places His throne within our hearts and takes His seat there. He claims us as His dwelling place and His temple, abiding within us forever.
So we no longer need to search for a physical Ark of the Covenant to approach God’s throne. That throne is already inside our hearts, where God’s covenant word has been written by the covenant blood of Christ.
This is why the author of Hebrews calls Jesus the 'mediator of a new covenant.' As Hebrews 9:15 states:
"Therefore he is the mediator of a new covenant, so that those who are called may receive the promised eternal inheritance, since a death has occurred that redeems them from the transgressions committed under the first covenant." (Hebrews 9:15)
For Jesus Christ to be the mediator of the New Covenant means that through Him, the promise God made to the prophet Jeremiah has been perfectly fulfilled.
For this reason, Jesus Christ is far superior to Moses. Moses was the mediator of the Old Covenant between God and Israel, which relied on the blood of animals. God intended to build the Israelites into His house through that Old Covenant, but its limitations were stark.
Although Moses was a faithful servant in all of God's house, the relationship between the Israelites and God kept fracturing. Furthermore, Moses fundamentally differed from Jesus because Moses himself was merely a part of God's house, whereas Jesus Christ is the builder of that house.
These are the core arguments the author of Hebrews uses to prove Jesus' superiority over Moses. Moses was a servant of God who existed for a brief moment in Israel's history, but Jesus is the eternal Son of God. Moses was a part of the house, but Jesus is the builder of the house. Moses was faithful in God’s house as a servant, but Jesus was faithful over God’s house as its Master and the Son of God. Moses merely delivered God’s message to the house, but Jesus was the very revelation of God Himself.
 
Additionally, although the author speaks highly of how faithfully Moses carried out his divine mission to serve God's house, we know he was not perfect. When God first called him, Moses repeatedly tried to refuse the calling. Later, when God commanded him to speak to the rock to bring forth water, Moses struck the rock twice with his staff in anger. This was a failure to uphold God’s holiness and honor Him in the sight of the Israelites.
In stark contrast, Jesus never rejected God's calling, even though it meant enduring intense suffering and laying down His life. When He was falsely accused, mocked, spit upon, and struck, He chose silence over self-defense because revealing God’s holiness and righteousness was His absolute priority. Moses stumbled, but Jesus never failed to obey the will of God. Even at his most faithful, Moses’ faithfulness cannot dare to compare with the faithfulness of Jesus.
 
Hebrews 3:5–6 states: "Now Moses was faithful in all God's house as a servant, to testify to the things that were to be spoken later, but Christ is faithful over God's house as a son. And we are his house, if indeed we hold fast our confidence and our boasting in our hope." (Hebrews 3:5–6) 
As the Son of God, Jesus Christ is wholly devoted to the house God is building. He is not only its builder but also its faithful, ongoing caretaker.
This is where our assurance rests. When we look at our own weaknesses and sinful tendencies, doubts can rush in, causing us to wonder: "Am I truly saved? Am I really a temple of God?"
But in those moments, we must remember that the one shaping us into God's house—a temple worthy of His dwelling—is not ourselves, but Jesus Christ, the Son of God. Therefore, we must turn back to Him, our ever-faithful High Priest. We must surrender the throne and ownership of our hearts back to Him, humbly acknowledging His sovereignty.
If we hold fast to our hope and confidence in Jesus Christ to the very end, we remain His house. Our High Priest will never give up on us.
The Apostle Paul wrote in Philippians 1:6:
"And I am sure of this, that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ." (Philippians 1:6)
The Book of Hebrews continuously reassures us that Jesus, as our Eternal High Priest, is fully capable of saving us, sympathizing with our weaknesses, and helping us. This truth must be the bedrock of our faith.
Therefore, as Christians, we do not place our hope in ourselves, but in Jesus, our High Priest. We do not place our hope in what we have achieved, but in what He has done and will continue to do for us. He, who promised to help and protect us, will never let us down, and He remains eternally faithful to the house of God.
Even now, Jesus, our High Priest, is faithfully building us up into God's house. He is wiping away the dust of our sins, repairing the broken walls of our emotions, and molding us into a holy temple where God can dwell.
I pray that all of us here today will experience His immense love, protection, and guidance, placing our hope solely in Jesus, as we are built up together into God’s holy temple, Church, and house.
 
Prayer
Heavenly Father, we thank You for the word proclaimed today. We confess that Jesus Christ, who died on the cross, has been exalted to Your right hand as the supreme Ruler of all creation and our eternal High Priest.
Jesus Christ,  we thank You and praise You for opening a new and living way into the throne of grace through Your own precious blood.
Thank You for being the mediator of the New Covenant, inscribing Your law upon our hearts and making us Your dwelling place. Whenever we doubt due to our shortcomings, let us remember that You are the one faithfully building us up. We trust that You who began a good work in us will bring it to completion.
Help us not to place our hope in ourselves, but to fix our eyes solely on Jesus Christ. May we hold fast our confidence to the very end, being built up together as Your holy temple and house.
In the powerful name of Jesus Christ, we pray. Amen.
 
[Reflection Questions]
1. Who is currently the builder of your life’s house? Is it yourself, or is it Jesus? In what ways do you believe Jesus wants to build or remodel you right now? What do you think is the most important choice you can make today to allow Him to build you into that kind of house?
 
2. What kind of hope and assurance does it give you to know that Jesus is the ultimate Builder of your life and the faithful High Priest who continually establishes this house? What are the spiritual obstacles or distractions that try to shake that assurance and prevent you from fully trusting Him?
 
3. The Bible declares that the body of every believer is a temple where God dwells. How are you currently cultivating and caring for your body and heart to be a holy dwelling place worthy of God's presence?

“Now there have been many of those priests, since death prevented them from continuing in office; but 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.” (Heb 7:23-25)
 
Review
Today, continuing from our previous session, we are sharing our thoughts on the ascension of Jesus Christ.
 
The Significance of the Ascension of Jesus Christ
1. Enthronement as the Ruler of All Creation
The first truth we learn through the ascension of Jesus Christ is that He is the true King of the entire universe. When Jesus Christ first came to this earth, He came in the form of a servant and died on the cross. However, God, by His power, raised Him from the dead, highly exalted Him to heaven, and seated Him at His right hand.
And God gave Him the name that is above every name, and all authority to rule and judge the whole world. In other words, the ascension of Jesus Christ is the very event that proclaims His lordship as the King of kings and Lord of lords.
 
2. Christ Becoming the Eternal High Priest
Last time, we looked into the second meaning of the ascension. The ascension of Jesus Christ is also the event through which He enters the true heavenly sanctuary as our eternal High Priest.
In the Old Testament, the Most Holy Place was a forbidden zone because the direct presence of God was there. The Most Holy Place was blocked by a veil, and no one was allowed to enter. Only the high priest could enter, and that was only once a year on the Day of Atonement, solely to atone for the sins of all the people of Israel.
However, the blood of animals could not completely take away the sins of the people of Israel. As a result, the veil continued to exist, and the Day of Atonement had to be repeated year after year.
Yet, all of this came to an end with the crucifixion, resurrection, and ascension of Jesus Christ. Jesus came as the eternal High Priest, achieved eternal redemption not with the blood of animals but with His own blood, and went ahead of us through the veil into the true Most Holy Place in heaven.
In this regard, Jesus Christ is superior to all the high priests who existed in the Old Testament. This is because He is without sin, lives forever, and serves not in an earthly sanctuary made by human hands—which is a mere shadow—but in the true sanctuary belonging to heaven.
 
The Ministry of Christ as High Priest
Then, what kind of ministry is Jesus Christ performing right now as our eternal High Priest? Last week, we examined the first of Jesus’ ministries: the ministry of reconciliation.
 
1. Christ Who Reconciles
Reconciliation with God is the very essence of salvation and the core of Jesus Christ's ministry. The Apostle Paul wrote this in Colossians chapter 1:
 
"For God was pleased to have all his fullness dwell in him, and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether things on earth or things in heaven, by making peace through his blood, shed on the cross. Once you were alienated from God and were enemies in your minds because of your evil behavior. But now he has reconciled you by Christ’s physical body through death to present you holy in his sight, without blemish and free from accusation." (Col 1:19-22) 
The reason God sent Jesus Christ to this earth to die on the cross was to reconcile all things on this earth to Himself through His blood and death. And the beginning of that was the restoration of the relationship between people and God. That is the definition of salvation.
God gave the people of Israel a way to forgive sins even during the Old Testament era. The Israelites brought animals to the tabernacle, laid their hands on them to transfer their sins, and obtained atonement by killing the animal.
However, the efficacy of this animal sacrifice was neither perfect nor eternal. This was because an animal could never replace the value of a human being. That was the reason why the veil still remained despite the existence of animal sacrifices. It showed that the problem of sin had not yet been completely resolved, and the path into the presence of God was still blocked.
However, the atonement and reconciliation that Jesus Christ accomplished through His blood on the cross and His death were perfect and eternal. He satisfied all the conditions for perfect atonement.
First, He was sinless; second, He possessed a physical body capable of shedding blood and experiencing death; and finally, most importantly, because He was the Son of God and the Word of God through whom all things were created, He possessed a value more than sufficient to substitute for all mankind.
Therefore, His atonement was perfect, and by the blood of Jesus Christ, we are now able to enter into the intimate presence of God—something no one in the Old Testament, not even the high priest, could ever to imagine. Those who could not even dare to enter the sanctuary, which was a mere shadow of the true Tabernacle, can now enter the true Most Holy Place in heaven, built by the Lord's own hands, and approach the throne of God.
When we believe in Jesus Christ, we participate in all of His core ministries. We are united with His death, crucifying our sinful desires on the cross. We are united with His resurrection, born again as new creations to live as children of God. But that is not all. Now, we also participate in the ascension of Jesus Christ, being spiritually raised to enter the heavenly sanctuary with Him. And we also participate in His seating at the right hand of God’s throne, reigning and ruling over this world together with Him.
This is why Jesus Christ being our High Priest is a great blessing to us. And the greatest and most precious blessing among them is that we have been reconciled with God to the extent that we can pierce through the veil, enter the heavenly Most Holy Place, and come before the throne of God.
 
2. The Interceding High Priest
Now, let us examine the second ministry of Jesus Christ as our eternal High Priest. Intercession. Jesus is standing at the right hand of God's throne even now, continuously praying for us.
 
Jesus was a man of prayer. Even when He was busy with His ministry, He never forgot to go out to a solitary place early in the morning to offer prayers to God. To Jesus, prayer was like spiritual breath, a means to continuously abide in the presence of God.
Jesus did not pray only for Himself. His prayers were also directed toward other people. When the disciples forbade the children from coming to Jesus, He took those children in His arms, laid His hands on their heads, and prayed for God's grace upon them. When Jesus saw the vast crowd following Him going hungry, He felt compassion for them, prayed for them, and then fed them.
Jesus also knew in advance that Peter would deny Him three times before He was arrested, and He interceded so that Peter's faith would not fail completely. Furthermore, on the cross, He petitioned God to forgive the sins of those who crucified Him.
In John chapter 17, Jesus’ intercessory prayer is recorded in the longest and most detailed manner. Before He was arrested, Jesus offered a prayer to God, and that prayer was not only for Himself but also for His disciples, and even further, for those who would come to God through them. First, Jesus prayed for His disciples like this:
"I pray for them. I am not praying for the world, but for those you have given me, for they are yours... I will remain in the world no longer, but they are still in the world, and I am coming to you. Holy Father, protect them by the power of your name, the name you gave me, so that they may be one as we are one... I am coming to you now, but I say these things while I am still in the world, so that they may have the full measure of my joy within them... My prayer is not that you take them out of the world but that you protect them from the evil one... Sanctify them by the truth; your word is truth." (Jn 17:9-17) 
This was Jesus’ prayer for His disciples. Jesus prayed that God would protect the disciples who would face difficulties on this earth, keep them from the evil one, enable them to become one in God's love, fill them with His own joy, and sanctify them by the truth.
And Jesus also prayed for other people who would come to Him because of the disciples:
"My prayer is not for them alone. I pray also for those who will believe in me through their message, that all of them may be one, Father, just as you are in me and I am in you. May they also be in us so that the world may believe that you have sent me. I have given them the glory that you gave me, that they may be one as we are one—I in them and you in me—so that they may be brought to complete unity. Then the world will know that you sent me and have loved them even as you have loved me." (Jn 17:20-23) 
Here, Jesus prays for those who will believe in Him through His disciples—that is, for all Christians. He petitioned that they might participate in the unity of the Triune God, enjoying true unity within Him, so that they may be perfected, abide in God’s love, and live as deliverers and witnesses of that love in this world, loving their neighbors.
This is the content of the prayer that Jesus offered to God 2,000 years ago, before He was crucified, for His disciples and for all Christians. But we know that this prayer continues even to this day, because Jesus Christ overcame death, rose again, ascended into heaven, and is still seated at the right hand of God, interceding for us.
 
Let us read Hebrews chapter 7, verses 24 to 25 together.
 
"But 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." (Heb 7:24-25)
One of the vital duties of the high priest was to pray. Samuel said, "As for me, far be it from me that I should sin against the Lord by failing to pray for you" (1Sm 12:23).
True to his word, Samuel never stopped worrying and praying for the people of Israel until the very end. That must have brought immense comfort to the people. How empowering must it have been for them to know that a great man of God like Samuel was constantly praying for them?
However, the prayer of Samuel, who was a great prophet and priest, eventually came to a halt. This was because his death prevented him from carrying out the duties of a priest any longer. And that same history repeated itself over and over again.
Though it wasn't always the case, excellent high priests appeared after Samuel as well. They, too, must have prayed to God for the people of Israel. However, no one could sustain that prayer forever. Death separated them from their priestly office.
But Jesus Christ, who is our High Priest right now, is different. He tasted death, but He is the only one who overcame it. Jesus Christ lives forever. He is seated at the right hand of God even now, interceding for us. Jesus Christ's ministry of intercession for us will never be interrupted.
Even at the very moment when we are too busy due to various circumstances, or lose even the strength to pray because we are crushed under the worries of the world and the burden of our sins, Jesus is still praying for us.
Jesus guards and protects us even now. He neither slumbers nor sleeps; He keeps us from all harm and watches over our coming and going forevermore. Just as a shepherd knows the names of his sheep and calls each of them by name to lead them out, Jesus knows each of our names, knows our circumstances and situations better than we do, and is praying while calling our names.
Just as Jesus took the little children in His arms and prayed for them, the Lord now holds our weak selves in His arms and intercedes for us. Just as Jesus looked at the hungry crowd, felt compassion for them, prayed for them, and fed them, Jesus looks at us with compassion even now, intercedes for us, and fills us with the necessary food. Just as Jesus looked at the sick with a merciful heart, prayed for them, and healed them, Jesus prays for us and heals us in the exact same way today.
Just as Jesus prayed for Peter when his faith was on the verge of stumbling due to fear, Jesus prays even now so that our faith will not grow weak but become strong. Just as Jesus prayed for the sinners who crucified Him, Jesus still loves us today when we sometimes act like enemies of God, and He petitions God to forgive our sins.
Jesus intercedes so that we do not fall into the temptations or evils of the world. Jesus petitions that our lives may be filled with His joy and that we may be sanctified by the truth. Jesus intercedes so that we may become one and be perfected in fellowship with the Triune God, and that we may deeply experience, enjoy, and become witnesses of that love, living a life of loving our neighbors.
This is the intercessory prayer ministry of Jesus, who is our eternal High Priest. The Apostle Paul wrote this in Romans chapter 8:
 
"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. Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword?... For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord." (Rm 8:34-39) 
 
Here, Paul explains Jesus’ ascension in connection with His intercessory ministry. What is important is that Jesus’ ministry of intercession goes beyond simple prayer and is connected to our justification. No one can condemn us. This is because Jesus is interceding and defending us on our behalf at the right hand of God.
The Apostle John explained the meaning of this like this:
"My dear children, I write this to you so that you will not sin. But if anybody does sin, we have an advocate with the Father—Jesus Christ, the Righteous One. He is the atoning sacrifice for our sins, and not only for ours but also for the sins of the whole world." (1Jn 2:1-2)
John says that even at the very moment we commit a sin, we can still approach God. This is an incredibly astonishing declaration when viewed from an Old Testament perspective. This is because no sinner could ever stand before a holy and righteous God.
The one who makes this possible is precisely Jesus Christ. The reason we can approach the Father even when we sin is because we have Jesus Christ, the Righteous One, who becomes our "Advocate." The Greek word translated as "Advocate" here is 'Parakletos'. While it is a word usually used to refer to the Holy Spirit, it is uniquely used here to point to Jesus. Parakletos fundamentally carries meanings like comforter or one who helps by our side, but it also means a 'defense attorney.'
These words—'condemnation,' 'righteousness,' and 'defense attorney'—are highly legal terms. This leads us to a courtroom. The judge of that courtroom is God. We are sitting before His judgment seat as the defendant. Here, Satan plays the role of the prosecutor, accusing us of our sins in detail before God, arguing that we are sinners and must receive the deserved punishment. That punishment is eternal death.
The desperate thing is that there is absolutely no falsehood in Satan's prosecution and sentencing demands. Those sins were indeed the sins we committed, and the wages of those sins is nothing but eternal death.
However, in this courtroom, we discover a defense attorney who helps us. Jesus Christ. He does not defend us by saying we are sinless. He admits all the sins we have committed before God.
But, the amazing plot twist unfolds right after that. Jesus says that while it is true we have sinned, there is no need to receive the death penalty for it. It is not because the sin is not serious enough to deserve death, but because the price for that sin has already been paid.
This is what Jesus says as He becomes our defense attorney. Because He bore all our sins and already paid the price for all those sins with His blood and death on the cross, there is no more condemnation for those who believe in Him.
This is another aspect of the intercession of Jesus, our High Priest. He intercedes for our weaknesses, but going beyond that, He also intercedes for our sinfulness, so that we do not fall into sin, so that we are not condemned—even when temptations of sin come rushing in, leading us to sin and leave us suffering from guilt—He constantly covers us with His precious blood, cleanses us, justifies us, helps us by our side, and intercedes so that we do not completely collapse in sin.
Even when we are crushed by our own guilt and lack even the strength to pray, Jesus' perfect intercessory prayer for us is echoing through the heavenly courtroom. Nothing can separate us from this Jesus Christ. What an incredibly amazing and comforting piece of news this is for us!
This is Jesus Christ, our eternal High Priest. He does not leave us alone in our weakness, sin, difficulties, temptations, fears, and worries; instead, He embraces us and prays for us. He invites us into His joy and invites us back to a righteous and holy life. Nothing can separate us from the love of Jesus Christ.
I desire for this truth to be restored in our lives today. Whenever you feel that approaching God is difficult for whatever reason, look upon Jesus Christ. Fix your eyes on Christ, who neither slumbers nor sleeps, but always intercedes for us, helps us, justifies us, and makes us strong. Do not listen to the voices of the world, the lies of Satan, and the inner voices, but listen to the prayer of Jesus Christ praying for you. That prayer will renew you. It will raise you up again. It will empower you again.
As we begin a brand new week, I hope you will walk with Jesus Christ, who always accompanies us and prays for us. In doing so, I pray that you will always live a victorious life together with Him.
 
Prayer
Heavenly Father, Thank You for giving us Jesus Christ as our eternal High Priest, who did not leave us as orphans but stands at Your right hand even now, continuously interceding for us.
Forgive us for the times we listened to the lies of Satan, the noises of the world, and our own inner guilt, rather than listening to the voice of Your Son. When we are too weak, too busy, or too overwhelmed by our sins to even lift our voices in prayer, remind us that Jesus is holding us in His arms, calling our names, and perfect prayers for us are already echoing in the heavenly courtroom.
Lord, let the truth of Christ’s intercession become the anchor of our souls this week. Because He has paid the ultimate price, because He cleanses us and defends us as our Advocate, we declare that no condemnation and no hardship can ever separate us from Your love.
As we step back into the world, let us fix our eyes on Jesus. Fill us with His joy, sanctify us by Your truth, and empower us by the Holy Spirit to live as faithful witnesses of Your love, bringing glory to Your name.
We lay our lives, our worries, and our upcoming week into the hands of our faithful Intercessor.
In the precious name of Jesus Christ, we pray, Amen.
 
[Reflection Questions]
1. Jesus knows your name, your situation, and your heart better than you do, and He is praying for you right now. How does this truth change the way you view your current struggles or loneliness?"
 
2. There are seasons when we are too busy, tired, or overwhelmed to even pray. Have you ever experienced a moment where you felt sustained by a prayer that wasn't your own?
 
3. Through John chapter 17, we have examined what kind of prayers Jesus is offering on our behalf. Jesus prays for our protection, joy, unity, and holiness. Which of these areas do you need to ask the Holy Spirit to strengthen in your life this week?