21

John 17:9-10, 20-23


"I pray for them, I do not pray for the world but for those whom You have given Me, for they are Yours, and Yours are Mine, and I am glorified in them...Holy Father, keep through Your name those whom You have given Me, that they may be one as we are."

Such intimacy. Such a picture of intimacy, love and adoration. Jesus' prayer, in this famous chapter of John, shows such a personal, private and sweet space of His heart it brings tears to my eyes. These couple verses I have highlighted capture ever so gently the heart of Jesus: His Dad in heaven, and his beloved disciples and friends who had been with him from the beginning. Including you and me. Isn't that crazy? Back then, when this book was written, before He went to the cross for the human race, Jesus prayed for you. He prayed for the ones who walked the earth with Him in the flesh, and He prayed for those who would come to believe (you and me) and later walk the earth with His Spirit. What a wonderful friend we have in Jesus.

His prayer is spoken soon before He is to be betrayed, captured and murdered. Still, He prays the very essence of intimacy: we are His, He is ours. He is totally and utterly caught up in our hearts--He is totally in love with us. We are not alone and should never feel alone because we belong to Him and He belongs to us. He is about to die, and in His sweet and precious prayer, He sums up His whole purpose on earth and tells His Father how He feels and affirms our position in the Kingdom as His kids. He knows it's time to go.

In our world, there is such loneliness that comes from feeling like you don't belong to someone. Jesus walked on earth to bridge the gap so we now belong to someone. It's simple. I guess it sounds a little weird if you're a realist and still figuring it all out. Jesus took His hand in our hands and put them in the hand of the Father, and we are now one with Him.

There are a thousand books that could be written from this prayer alone, so take some time to sit with it and you will see it for the beautiful, powerful and magnificent prayer that it is. You will discover the heart of Jesus and your life will change. You are perfect and whole in Him. You belong to the only One that will never leave you and will unconditionally love and adore you your entire life.