Pray As He Prayed - February 28

Read John 17:14-21

“I do not ask for these only, but also for those who will believe in me through their word, that they may all be one, just as you, Father, are in me, and I in you, that they may believe that you have sent me. The glory that you have given me I have given to them, that they may be one even as we are one, I in them and you in me, that they may become perfectly one, so that the world may know that you sent me and loved them even as you loved me. Father, I desire that they also, whom you have given me, may be with me where I am, to see my glory that you have given me because you loved me before the foundation of the world. O righteous Father, even though the world does not know you, I know you, and these know that you have sent me. I made known to them your name, and I will continue to make it known, that the love with which you have loved me may be in them, and I in them.”

Reflect

Jesus prayed that prayer for you, a future believer because of the apostles’ testimony. What did Jesus ask of the Father for future believers? 

Jesus is the perfect example for us to emulate. He showed us what it means to live a godly, sinless life (1 John 3:5). He showed us how to love (1 John 3:16). He showed us how to forgive (Colossians 3:13). He taught us how to humbly serve one another (Matthew 20:25-28). He showed us how to patiently endure suffering (1 Peter 2:20-23). He taught us how to stand up against temptation (Matthew 4:1-11). And of course, He modeled prayer for us (Matthew 6:9-13, the Lord’s Prayer).

As we read the Gospel accounts, we see example after example of Jesus communicating with the Father through prayer in multiple contexts. For example, we repeatedly see Jesus going off to be alone in prayer with the Father. Mark 1:35 records: “And rising very early in the morning, while it was still dark, he departed and went out to a desolate place, and there he prayed.” Lesson learned? Prioritize quiet, alone time with God.

But Jesus also prayed in public. In John 12:27-29, Jesus prayed aloud in a crowd that God’s name would be glorified and the Father audibly answered: “I have glorified it, and I will glorify it again.” The people were able to hear the Father’s thundering response to Jesus’ prayer. This also happened at Jesus’ baptism (Matthew 3:13-17) and at His transfiguration (Matthew 17:1-8). The audible voice of the Father testified that Jesus is who He said He is, the Son of God. The Father probably won’t audibly reply to your public prayers, but the lesson learned here is that praying in public points people to God and glorifies His name.

In Luke 6:12-13, Jesus prayed all night before selecting His twelve apostles which demonstrates the wisdom of praying before making important decisions. We also see that Jesus regularly prayed before meals. All four Gospels recorded that before Jesus fed the 5,000, he blessed the meager five loaves and two fish, and gave thanks to God for it (Matthew 14:19, Mark 6:41, Luke 9:15, John 6:11). In addition, Jesus prayed on the night of the Last Supper before He broke the bread and gave it to His disciples (Matthew 26:26). Lessons learned?

Today’s verses come from what I think is Jesus’ most beautiful prayer, often referred to as “The High Priestly Prayer.” It is the longest prayer of Jesus recorded in Scripture. Jesus prayed these words right after He gave His disciples their final instructions. He knew that He was about to be betrayed by Judas, arrested, and crucified. He was about to face unspeakable suffering and He was going to leave His disciples behind. This prayer in John 17 is usually divided up into 3 sections. In verses 1-5, Jesus prayed for Himself. In verses, 6-19, He prayed for His apostles. Then, in verses 20-26, Jesus prayed for future believers—that’s you and me. We are the ones who believe in Christ because of the testimony of the apostles.

That means that Christ prayed for us before we even existed! He prayed that we would be united as one (v. 20), that our unity would demonstrate to the world that the Father really did send the Son, and He asked God for us to be with Him in eternity (v. 24). In Christ, we share in His glory and are unified (v. 22) and we have the Father’s love living in us (v. 26). I encourage you to read all of John 17 today because it provides beautiful insight into the intimate communication between the Father and the Son.

As we seek to grow spiritually, we learn this from Christ’s example—prayer is a vital spiritual discipline. If we want to develop an intimate relationship with God (and because of Christ, we can!), then we have to pray. We can pray when we are alone. We can pray aloud to glorify God. We can pray for wisdom before big decisions and we can ask God to bless our food. We can pray as we suffer and we can pray for those we love—just as Jesus did. As Christians, let’s imitate Christ. Let’s pray as Jesus prayed.

Respond

Lord, thank You for Your perfect example of how to live a life of prayer. I want to deepen my relationship with You and have frequent, intimate communication with You. Help me develop the discipline of regular prayer. I want to pray as You prayed, Lord. Amen.

Reveal

Ask another believer to be a prayer partner with you. Whether you meet together regularly to pray or simply share prayer requests and praises, having someone join you in prayer can help you develop this vital spiritual discipline.