Daily Devotional John 17: 13-26
Our prayers reveal the matters that are closest to our hearts. Jesus’ prayer shows His concern for His disciples. Jesus prayed for the disciples He was about to leave behind. He also prayed for those who would believe through their message (v. 20). This means that Jesus prayed for us!
Sanctify them by the truth; your word is truth.
JOHN 17:17
What did He pray about? First, He prayed for our protection and sanctification. He knew that believers would live in a world marked by sin. He asked God to protect us “from the evil one” (v. 16). He asked that we be sanctified, growing into His likeness, through spending time in His Word (v. 17). God’s Word is truth!
Second, Jesus prayed for unity, “that all of them may be one, Father, just as you are in me and I am in you” (v. 21). We often read these words as a wish, as if Jesus were saying, “I hope they will be one.” This human-centered reading places all the responsibility for unity on us. But Jesus made this request to His Father. It is God who makes believers one through Jesus Christ. The unity Christ describes is reflected in the nature of the church which is made up of many members who are united to one another by the Holy Spirit.
The church is already one through its union with Jesus Christ. What we are responsible for is the expression of that unity. We can be joined together in conflict and selfishness, or we can “Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace” (Eph. 4:3). In addition, Jesus also prayed for our heavenly future expressing a desire that “those you have given me” would “be with me where I am, and to see my glory” (v. 24).
>> You are precious to God! Reread this prayer aloud. Jesus prayed this just before He was arrested, knowing the tremendous suffering to come and the incredible sacrifice to be made. His thoughts were on you. How great is His love!
Pray with Us
You thought of us in Your last hour. Even in the face of betrayal, rejection, abandonment, and death, You prayed for us; You prayed for me. Now we see Your glory and we worship You, praise You, love You, adore You!