March 26: Praying for his disciples
John 17:1-19 TNIV from Biblegateway.com
1 After Jesus said this, he looked toward heaven and prayed:
“Father, the hour has come. Glorify your Son, that your Son may glorify you. 2 For you granted him authority over all people that he might give eternal life to all those you have given him. 3 Now this is eternal life: that they know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent. 4 I have brought you glory on earth by finishing the work you gave me to do. 5 And now, Father, glorify me in your presence with the glory I had with you before the world began.
6 “I have revealed you to those whom you gave me out of the world. They were yours; you gave them to me and they have obeyed your word. 7 Now they know that everything you have given me comes from you. 8 For I gave them the words you gave me and they accepted them. They knew with certainty that I came from you, and they believed that you sent me. 9 I pray for them. I am not praying for the world, but for those you have given me, for they are yours. 10 All I have is yours, and all you have is mine. And glory has come to me through them. 11 I will remain in the world no longer, but they are still in the world, and I am coming to you. Holy Father, protect them by the power of your name, the name you gave me, so that they may be one as we are one. 12 While I was with them, I protected them and kept them safe by that name you gave me. None has been lost except the one doomed to destruction so that Scripture would be fulfilled.
13 “I am coming to you now, but I say these things while I am still in the world, so that they may have the full measure of my joy within them. 14 I have given them your word and the world has hated them, for they are not of the world any more than I am of the world. 15 My prayer is not that you take them out of the world but that you protect them from the evil one. 16 They are not of the world, even as I am not of it. 17 Sanctify them by the truth; your word is truth. 18 As you sent me into the world, I have sent them into the world. 19 For them I sanctify myself, that they too may be truly sanctified.
Devotional Comments:
Bringing a child home from the hospital can be one of the scariest moments in life. While in the hospital you have nurses and doctors at your disposal 24 hours a day, answering questions and giving you confidence that you can indeed do this. With the trip home then comes the realization that you are on your own. You no longer have someone to answer every whim of a question. You start to doubt yourself and wonder if you really know what you are doing. Don’t I need a certificate or something to become a parent?
Can you imagine living with Jesus physically at your side, 24 hours a day, answering questions, and giving you confidence knowing that He was right there? I think about that as Jesus prays for his disciples. He had been with them, by their side, teaching and leading them to take over his work when he was gone. Jesus has given them the words of God and they had embraced them. They knew Jesus was sent from God and believed wholeheartedly.
Jesus understood the difficulty of living in the world, the doubts that creep in, and he asked the help of the Father to protect them, unify them, and give them confidence to continue the work of Jesus and glorify God.
Karen Gilbert
Pray for awareness of Jesus’ presence. Pray for the work of the Holy Spirit in your life.