"He Prayed for ME!" September 2 Readings: John 17

 

Reading the Bible Chronologically in 2024

This year, instead of reading from Genesis to Revelation, we will read the Bible as the story flows, as it happened and was written. There are several plans out there and I have worked to combine them into a plan that lets the Bible tell its own story "as it happened." Remember, the Bible is inspired, but not in the order the books appear in our Bibles.  The Old Testament is approximately 3/4 of the Bible, but we will give more emphasis to the New Testament, spending half the year in the Old Testament and half in the New. 

Bible Readings: John 17

Background:  

John 17 is truly "The Lord's Prayer." This is the prayer that the Lord prayed the night before he died, pouring out his heart to the Father on behalf not only of his disciples but for all of us who would follow.

Daily Devotional: He Prayed for ME!

The night before Jesus died, just before he agonized in the Garden, before he was arrested, and put on trial, Jesus prayed - he prayed for YOU! Yes, my friend, he prayed for you and he prayed for me. Think about that. In his hour of agony, pain, and stress, when the most awful moment of history awaited him, he interceded with the Father on our behalf.

John 17 is the real "Lord's Prayer." The prayer to which we've assigned that name is the one he gave to his disciples to pray. It is the "Disciples' Prayer." But the prayer that reveals the heart of Jesus is John 17 - it shows what he really thought and felt. Verse 20 makes it clear that this prayer was not just for the men who were with him in the Upper Room.

“I do not ask for these only, but also for those who will believe in me through their word.”

He prayed for you and for me. Whatever you are going through today, whatever your pain, you can rest assured that you are infinitely loved by one who when hell marshaled all its forces against him and when the entire world was crashing around him, still his thought was to pray for you. That is an eternal and unshakable love. 

The list of blessings in this passage is long and wonderful, but there are two in particular that I would point out. There are two things that Jesus prayed that sometimes stand in slight contrast, even conflict with one another. First, in verse 17 he prayed, 

Sanctify them in the truth; your word is truth. 

Jesus prayed that we would be made holy, conformed to the image of Christ, that our sins would not dominate and control us but that we would become like Christ. What is the primary tool that God uses in that process? The Word - the truth of God that the Spirit uses to accomplish that work. The Word can be harsh and convicting as it calls us to repentance, to change, to abandon our sin, and to become like Christ. But that we must do. The Christian life is a daily process of the Spirit working in us, through the Word, to make us more like Jesus. 

Along the way, there is something else that God wants for us. This is seen in verse 21. 

...that they may all be one, just as you, Father, are in me, and I in you, that they also may be in us, so that the world may believe that you have sent me.

Jesus wanted his disciples to walk in unity and oneness. In fact, the unity of the Body of Christ was meant to reflect and demonstrate the unity that existed among the members of the Trinity.

To my shame, I have failed often in walking in the holiness of Christ, in the process of sanctification by the Word. But just as often I've failed in my relationships to reflect the divine oneness that Jesus Christ called us to demonstrate. I've failed more than I've succeeded.

But here's the good news. Jesus prayed for me! I know his prayers will not fail. The process may be slow and the answer may not be complete, but I know that God will answer and I will be all that God wants me to be, all that Jesus prayed that I would become! Jesus' prayer will be answered!

Father, I thank you for the confidence I have in Christ that one day I will be fully sanctified in Christ and that I will experience perfect unity in the Body of Christ. I thank you that this depends on the work of Christ in me!

Consider God's Word:

Among his many prayers, Jesus focused on two desires for us. It is certain that if Jesus prayed for these things, they would occur. He prayed that we would be sanctified - set apart and made holy for the purposes of God. He prayed that we would be united as one. What we know is that the prayers of Jesus will be answered! God is at work to make us holy and to unify his church. 

But how is it going today? How are you doing?

Are you walking in holiness and purity before the Lord?
Are you walking in unity or in broken relationships, grudges, and division?