And the King will answer and say to them, " Assuredly, I say to you, inasmuch as you did it to one of the least of these My brethren, you did it to Me." -Matt. 25:40 (NKJ)

After a hectic day, I rushed into the post office parking lot with an overnight express package that had to arrive the next day. My anxiety level increased in proportion to the traffic density.  I had to get inside before closing, but I was stuck in gridlock with no parking spaces in sight.

Meanwhile, on the Moody radio station a commentator was talking about Jesus' last words to the disciples in the Garden of Gethsemane.  Sweating great drops of blood, He asked them to watch and pray. Instead they fell asleep.

I could relate to how quickly the cares of this world do wear us down, dull our minds, and cause us to miss what's really going on in life right in front of us.  If they'd only known the true significance of what they were witnessing, would their response have been different?

This thought jolted me out of my real world. For the first time in that parking lot I really heard the plea in my Lord's voice: "Pray for me! I need you to."

My Lord, needing something? I'd never even thought of praying for Jesus.  I'd always thought of Him praying for me.

The birth of a new insight is a wondrous thing. Right then I knew, through the timeless sovereignty of God, I could utter a "cut and paste" prayer pre-dated Crucifixion. So I prayed that His pain would be eased, that His time of suffering would not be long, and that His name would be glorified. It was an act of worship-incredibly sweet, a moment of giving back by lifting Him up, in the same way I would pray for anyone I love.

  This offering was followed by the unmistakable reminder that as I pray for others, it is as if I've done it unto Him. Already a prayer was forming for the weary postal worker with a furrowed brow helping three confused foreigners struggle to mail a package home.

Yes, I was back, in my time zone, inside the post office, almost to the head of the line. I realized how much my own anxiety was lessened as I prayed for others. And I hoped it was like that for Him as He prayed for you and me-way back then "in advance" from the cross: "Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do."

Sometimes the most unlikely places can become holy ground.