It Was All For This

In this episode of the PRESS Movement Podcast, we dive into a prayer that reveals what to do when purpose feels heavy and pressure feels unavoidable.

From John 12, Jesus prays a simple but powerful prayer:
 “Father, glorify thy name.”

Surrounded by growing attention, rising opposition, and the weight of His calling, Jesus doesn’t ask to escape the moment — He embraces it. His soul is troubled. The hour is intense. The cost is real. Yet instead of backing away, He leans into purpose.

This episode explores what it means to realize you were born for this- it was all for this.

Not born for comfort.
 Not born for ease.
 But born for assignment.

When seasons feel public…
 When pressure feels personal…
 When purpose feels costly…

That may be the very evidence that God is positioning you for something greater than you can see.

This is an episode for anyone who has ever asked,
 “Why is this happening to me?”

The answer might be:
 Because this moment was made for you — and you were made for it.

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 #GodsTiming
 #ChristianPodcast
 #PrayerChangesThings
 #CalledForThis
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 #KingdomPurpose
 #PurposePressure

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Transcript

Press means to apply force. When God said press, prayer reaches every single situation. He gave us permission to apply force to every situation that we will go through.

And in this podcast, we are going to learn to apply force to what's applying pressure to us. Greetings, everyone. Welcome to the Press Movement Podcast.

Thank you for joining me today in the book of John chapter 12. And I'm rather excited about this prayer because it's so simple. John 12, 28, the very first sentence of that verse says, Father, glorify thy name.

That is the prayer for today. Father, glorify thy name. And this prayer comes about because Jesus has, in John 11, raised Lazarus from the dead.

If you missed last week's podcast with Brother Deshaun, you need to go back and listen because he really delved into the prayer and the story behind the raising of Lazarus from the dead. But essentially, this event of Lazarus's resurrection brought a lot of attention to Jesus. It built him a stage.

There were now, it appears, more people paying attention to what he was doing than ever. It seems that everything intensified when you get to John 12. You have Mary who comes to Jesus and she anoints the feet of Jesus starting in chapter 12, verse 3. And she used some very costly ointment.

This is where you get to see the heart of Judas for the first time because Judas, the one who would betray Jesus, his question when Mary begins to anoint his feet with this expensive oil is, why was not this ointment sold for 300 pence and given to the poor? But Jesus said, let alone against the day of my burying have she kept this. In other words, she's doing this because she's preparing my body to die. Her anointing, her giving was prophetic.

It was part of the preparation for what was to come. Likewise, Judas's comments were a preview of what was to come, that he would put more emphasis on money under the guise of doing good than he would on Jesus himself. And so, as we continue looking at this, the Bible says in verse 9, much people of the Jews therefore knew that he was there and they came not for Jesus' sake only, but that they might see Lazarus also, whom he had raised from the dead.

But the chief priest consulted that they might put Lazarus also to death, because that by reason of him, many of the Jews went away and believed on Jesus. This is a powerful thought in scripture, that God can use what you're going through or what happens to you to build a stage they'll want to kill you for. But when he builds a stage he wants to move on, he gets all the glory.

And so you see, there are as many people coming and now hounding Jesus to see Jesus as there are to see Lazarus, because they've heard of what God has done in Lazarus. You see, as we continue in the story, not only are they coming for the stage, but it's becoming more plain who Jesus is. When he raised Lazarus from the dead, this was a great unveiling for him for so many, because now he's coming into the city and they're crying, Hosanna.

The Bible says they found a young ass and he sat on it. And he's riding through the city, but the disciples at first, they don't even understand what's happening. They don't understand the prophecies.

They don't understand it's all coming together. But when he's resurrected, when he's glorified, they do understand. All these pieces are being built and they're being built off the fact that Jesus is getting so much attention because he raised Lazarus from the dead.

The Bible says for this cause, the people also met him for that they heard that he had done this miracle. And verse 19 says, the Pharisees therefore said among themselves, perceive ye how you prevail nothing. Behold, the world is gone after him.

I love that the Pharisees in verse 19 are so confused. They're like, don't you see, we're not stopping anything. We're not getting this under control.

It's not getting any better from where they're sitting. When God does anything, when he puts you on a stage, hell can't control that. They'll want to.

They'll want to kill the testimony as they wanted to kill Lazarus. They'll want to stop the spread of this Jesus fire that's happening. But when the saints of God truly know that the Lord has done this, there is nothing in hell that can stop it.

And they actually still know they can't stop it. They want to stop it. They're trying to stop it.

They got a plan to stop it. But they can see the world is gone after him. The Bible says there was a feast and some of the Grecian men came to Philip.

But Philip tells Andrew, and they both go to tell Jesus, hey, there's some people here who want to talk to you. And what I see in this next discourse that Jesus shares in this monologue, if you would, is him addressing everything that's happened in chapter 12. Because it doesn't sound like he's just talking about the Grecian people who want to see him.

No, he's speaking to what they're seeing since Lazarus died. He's speaking to being anointed by Mary. He's speaking to the betrayal by Judas that's setting up.

He's speaking to them understanding who he is, the revelation of Jesus being the one that was prophesied when they were crying Hosanna. He's speaking to them wanting to kill the testimony that is Lazarus, but also the testimony that is him. And his response is, the hour has come that the Son of Man should be glorified.

Verily, verily, I say unto you, except a corn of wheat fall into the ground and die, it abideth alone. But if it die, it bringeth forth much fruit. He that loveth his life shall lose it, and he that hateth his life in this world shall keep it unto eternal life.

If any man serve me, let him follow me in where I am. There shall also my servant be. If any man serve me, him will my Father honor.

Now is my soul troubled, and what shall I say? Father, save me from this hour. Before this cause came I into this hour. Father, glorify thy name.

So instead of addressing the Grecian people who want to see him, Jesus begins to explain the life that's after death. That as it is for a corn of wheat, a kernel of wheat, if you put it in the ground and let it grow, it'll produce more than even what it was before it went in the ground. But you have to let it die in the ground for it to really produce what it's going to produce.

Again, he's speaking to his own death. He's speaking to his own purpose, but he's also speaking to theirs. If you love your life, you're going to lose it.

If all you hang on to is here and now, you're not going to have anything in the long run. You're going to walk away from this life empty-handed. It doesn't necessarily mean that everybody who chooses Jesus is going to die for him, but everybody who chooses Jesus will die out to themselves for him.

There's always going to be death for the saints. Now, as I stated, it doesn't mean it's going to be a physical death, but you will die out to yourself at the very least, and some of them he was talking to would die, in fact, for the cause, both naturally and spiritually. But he wanted them to understand not only am I going into the ground to produce more, but you can't be so in love with life that all you want to do is hang on to life.

You see, that was part of Jesus' problem. He was so short-sighted that he was just trying to hang on to what he saw. He was trying to hang on to the money.

He couldn't see what was really happening right in front of his face with Mary anointing Jesus with this ointment. He couldn't comprehend or even attach himself to what she's doing is eternal, but what you're talking about is temporary, even though it's a good thing. No, what Judas was pushing back against godly things with was something that was a good thing.

Oh, I want to take care of the poor. But it doesn't matter what the rationale is, and we know that wasn't the rationale in his heart. It doesn't matter what you make it sound like.

When you prioritize God, you find life, because the life he'll give is eternal. He said, if you're going to serve me, you're going to have to follow me. I know so many people who want to be used by God until it's time to feel used by the people or by God, but being used is just that.

You become a servant, and if you're really going to follow him, you have to be willing to serve. Jesus said, my soul is troubled. What shall I say? That word troubled means he was stirred, he was agitated, he was shaken.

The time he was born for is here now, and there's something in him that's shaking. You have to understand this was not an easy thing. Jesus always knew what he had to do, but that didn't make it his reflex to do it.

He still had a choice because he was just as much God as he was man, and man as he was God, and so his humanity still had to bow, and that was a fight for him. He was on the verge of dying for the people, yes, he loved and created, but he didn't need to do this to be in heaven. This is all about them.

It's not about him. He'd be God whether he died or not, but he's about to not only die, but take on the sins of the world. Can you imagine how dirty he'd feel? He who knew no sin, now wearing the weight of every sin, disease, soul sickness that has ever been, and taking it on publicly, being shamed for it, being beaten for it.

The stage is being set. That's what he's saying. The hour is come, but even with his soul shaken, his soul agitated or troubled, as the Bible says, he asked a rhetorical question, what shall I say? Father, save me from this hour, but for this hour I've come.

This is my whole point. So you see the wavering, the humanity that I could say, save me, take me out of here, but I was born for this. I was born for what God's about to do.

See, this is purpose when you tap into it. Purpose may not feel comfortable. Purpose may not feel easy, but when you understand I was born for this fight, when the fight comes, no matter how you feel, you learn how to focus and say, no, I've got to accomplish the mission.

And so he resolved in his heart, not just to accomplish the mission, but God be glorified. Father, glorify thy name. How many of us can pray that today? God, whatever I'm going through, wherever I am, but especially if you put me here, especially if I'm in this because I'm following you.

I followed you to this spot. I followed you to this test. I followed you to this trial.

I followed you and they hate me. I followed you and they're after me. I followed you.

If that's where you sit today, this is the prayer for you. Father, glorify thy name. Make this about you.

You be bigger in this. Let the spotlight shine on you. Let your name be exalted.

It's not about me. It's about you. I'm a servant.

And if I don't fall to the ground and die, I will be trying to save my own life. And if I seek to save my life, I'll lose it. But if I let you have this stage, you will get all the glory.

You will get all the attention. You will get the spotlight. You will get the honor.

And it'll be worth it. To this one, heaven responded instantly. And the Bible says the people even heard the response when Jesus prayed, Father, glorify thy name.

For there came a voice from heaven saying, I have both glorified it and will glorify it again. Not only have I done it once, I'm gonna do it again. When you put the weight back on God of a situation, of the trouble, of what's ever trying to shake you, and say, you be glorified, you'll see he'll do it for himself.

But we always benefit from it. Why? Because in the end, there is no purpose like knowing God. And not just in the end is there no purpose like knowing God, but also it's that life exchange.

I may have to give up some things in the temple, but what I get will be eternal. Jesus tells them this voice came not because of me, but for your sakes. He wants you to know who I am.

He said, if I be lifted up, I'll draw all men unto me. This is him prophesying. The scriptures let you know in verse 33, his own death.

This whole passage to this point is about the stage being set for Jesus to die and the whole world to know it. Be glorified. There are some things that the Lord will let us go through and it looks so public, you feel so exposed.

But could it be he's just building his own stage? Today, we pray, God be glorified. If you're going to let me go through this, if I have to fight this fight, then you get the honor, you get the praise. Let this stage bring a spotlight to you.

And we can pray this confidently because we know prayer reaches every single situation. Join the movement, join the community, like, share and subscribe to this podcast. Visit us at PressToPray.com or find us on Instagram or Facebook.

Did you know that when you are quiet, your voice is missing to God's ears? I know some of us have prayed and were wondering how long should I pray about this? Why should I pray if God already knows? How will I know God is answering? And what do I do when I feel like God's not listening? But God is listening for your voice. It's too quiet in this world for the troubles we have. You have to raise your voice and God wants to hear from you.

It's Too Quiet, a book about prayer, is designed to answer your prayer questions and build your faith. Visit PressToPray.com.