Safety

I came upon this during my Bible reading this morning.

I do not ask that you take them out of the world, but that you keep them from the evil one. John 17

And this is what I came away with. The world is a very dangerous place. Think of all the things that might happen to you. Who doesn't lock his doors before bed? Do you use seatbelts? How many people have been confronted by cancer? Do you know anyone who, having entrusted himself to Jesus later changed his mind and turned away? The world is a very dangerous place. Heaven, on the other hand, is completely safe. What can go wrong there? And yet, what does Jesus pray. 'I do not ask that you take them out of the world...'  Jesus wants us to stay where it's not safe. And that makes sense. What battlefield is without danger? We are in a war. It's the Church against the world. And fighting this war has its dangers. We need to understand that. But note what Jesus does pray for. '... that you keep them from the evil one.' Behind all of the dangers of this world stands the evil one. There is evil because he is evil. So, house fires, car breakdowns, emotionally dark days, fatal reactions to bee stings - follow these back and you'll find the evil one involved in one way or other. And we must face him and his evil and fight against it all. And there is danger in that. But, notwithstanding the danger and conflict, we are safe. Love has come and we are safe. Jesus prays for us. And He prays that as we fight the battles we will be kept safe from the evil one. We fight on aware of the danger and the suffering that goes with it. But we are optimistic. Jesus prays for us. And what do you think? Will the Father ignore Jesus' prayer?