Jesus Prayed

Jn. 17

 

"Christ Jesus is the one who died--more than that, who was raised--who is at the right hand of God, who indeed is interceding for us." Rom. 8:34

 

What would Christ pray as our intercessor? Would He reword what we have prayed? Would He pray what the Father desires for us? Jn. 17 is just such a prayer, a prayer where Jesus intercedes for His disciples. In this prayer, He prays first for His own relationship with the Father. He asks the Father to glorify Him so He may glorify the Father. While on earth, He has given eternal life, that is the gift of knowing the only true God and Jesus Christ as His son, to all those that the Father has given Him. His obedience to this commission glorified the Father. And now He desires to be glorified in the Father's own presence as He was before the world existed.

 

Then Jesus begins to pray for His disciples, those that He has blessed with eternal life and those that the Father has given Him.  These disciples know and understand who the Father is and who Jesus is. He is not praying for the world, but for those that are His and the Father's. He asks the Father :

• To keep them in His name
• to make them one even as He and the Father are one
• to have Jesus' joy fulfilled in them
• to keep them from the evil One as they stay here on earth
• to sanctify them in the Truth, His word is Truth
• for all those who will believe that they might be One [That's me!]
• that the world might know through the lives of His chosen ones that the Father sent the Son because He loved the world
• that all those that the Father gave the Son would be with Him in heaven to see His glory, the glory the Father gave the Son

How powerful is this intercession! It deals with the issues that are super important, with my faithfulness and protection in this world, and with my witness for Jesus and the Father. In this prayer Jesus reveals the overall redemptive plan of God seen in His love for man and His sending His Son to earth to give the message through the sacrifice of His life. What peace and confidence comes from knowing that Jesus intercedes for me!

 

Father,

I ask You to strengthen me in Your grace so that my life and words may reflect Your great love and redemption. Keep me safe from the evil one. Thank You for such an intercessor as this.

In His name,

Amen

 
 
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