Day 17 | January 22 | John 17 & Psalm 95

By Brian Griggs

As we read Jesus’ prayer in Chapter 17 of the Gospel of John, there are many things that have stood out to me. Jesus prays this prayer right before He will be betrayed, which makes what He prayed for so significant. I find so much peace and calm within His words, even though He knows the suffering He will soon enter into. I believe as we look more deeply into Jesus’ prayer, we will see a pattern that we can incorporate into our prayers when we approach our heavenly Father.

Here are three things that stood out to me:

First, everything that Jesus prays for is consumed with the glory of His Father. Jesus starts out His prayer in v1b “Glorify your Son so that the Son may glorify you.” Jesus knew that any renown He received was only given to Him from the Father in order to bring glory to the Father. He knew that by obeying and speaking the very words God has given Him that He would be bringing His Father the ultimate fame. Everything that was given to Jesus was given to Him by the Father and belonged to the Father.

Second, Jesus’ prayer starts inward, moves to His inner circle, and then to all people. Jesus focused His heart and intentions on His personal mission of fulfilling the purposes of His incarnation. He then prays for His disciples and their mission, and then He begins to pray for all who will come to faith because of the Good News. He starts in and then moves out. Yet, all the while bringing everything back to the glory of the Father.

Lastly, Jesus constantly returns to praying for unity. Unity with Himself and the Father. Unity amongst His disciples, and unity for all believers. Jesus knew that the greatest showcase of the Gospel would be the love and unity of His followers to their God and to each other. He desired that those who would believe would be one just as Jesus and the Father were one. Did you notice in the passage how many times Jesus talked to the Father about being one? About unity?

I would encourage you to read through the passage of John 17 one more time and keep a lookout for these three things. Also, as you pray, put these three things into practice in your quiet time with the LORD. Start praying that everything you do would be to bring glory, honor, and praise to our heavenly Father. Remembering to not only pray for ourselves, but let our prayers branch out to those closest to us, and then to those further outside of our inner circle. And finally, pray for unity. Pray that you would be united to the will and purposes of God for your life, your family’s life, and our church’s mission. Pray also that you will live in unity and peace with all people, but especially with your brothers and sisters in Christ.

Father, may my life be lived in such a way that you are glorified in everything I do. May your renown be written all over the pages of my life. I pray that my family would live in your glory. I pray that my co-workers, neighbors, friends, and those I meet in my day-to-day life would be aware of You through me. Give me opportunities to invite them in to know You more. And may my life and love for You be made apparent in my unity with my fellow believers. May I put aside the differences and disagreements, and uphold others’ dignity for the honor of my Savior. Teach me how to praise You more, love You more, and love others better for the glory of the One who saved my life. Thank you, Jesus, for saving me for the glory of the Father. Amen.