Day 20: Jesus' Priestly Prayer

John 17:1-3
After Jesus said this, he looked toward heaven and prayed: "Father, the hour has come. Glorify your Son, that your Son may glorify you. For you granted him authority over all people that he might give eternal life to all those you have given him. Now this is eternal life: that they know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent.

John 17:11-17
 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. 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.
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. 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. My prayer is not that you take them out of the world but that you protect them from the evil one. They are not of the world, even as I am not of it. Sanctify them by the truth; your word is truth.

John 17 records a prayer of Jesus, imploring God on behalf of his disciples and all those who would follow Christ throughout the records of time. Imagine that! Jesus Christ, the Son of God, praying on behalf of His current and future children.
Jesus has been dialoguing with his disciples in the upper room, but now he began to pray. He was not only praying to the Father, but also praying aloud so His disciples could hear. As we “listen in" to His prayer, we are able to learn more about the relationship Jesus had with His father. This helps us to better understand the relationship our Heavenly Father desires to have with us!

Key thought for today: all relationships we have as human beings are affected by the relationship we understand and maintain with our Heavenly Father!

There are no relationships on earth more important for us to cultivate than the one we have with Him.
In verses 11 through 17, Jesus continued His prayer. He asked God the Father to “sanctify them” (referring to His disciples present and future) through God’s word of truth, saying that they are not of this world.  
A prominent word to consider is the word “sanctify." This word means to set apart, to put in a place of priority, and implies an act of our human will.

Jesus prayed that the love of God in Him would also be in us, His children. Imagine that! However, apart from Christ, we would not even begin to have the capacity or ability to love anyone - even ourselves - with the love which comes from God!

Prayer Prompts:

1. Google these words “Bible verses that speak of God‘s love for me.” Pick two or three of those verses and write them down in a place you can refer to them throughout your day today.
2. Ask God to increase your capacity to receive His love.
3. Text someone that you know, and remind them that God loves them and wants to have a relationship with them.