John 17
Jesus’ Prayer for His Followers
1-5 Jesus said these things. Then, raising his eyes in prayer, he said:
Father, it’s time.
Display the bright splendor of your Son
So the Son in turn may show your bright splendor.
You put him in charge of everything human
So he might give real and eternal life to all in his charge.
And this is the real and eternal life:
That they know you,
The one and only true God,
And Jesus Christ, whom you sent.
I glorified you on earth
By completing down to the last detail
What you assigned me to do.
And now, Father, glorify me with your very own splendor,
The very splendor I had in your presence
Before there was a world. 6-12I spelled out your character in detail
To the men and women you gave me.
They were yours in the first place;
Then you gave them to me,
And they have now done what you said.
They know now, beyond the shadow of a doubt,
That everything you gave me is firsthand from you,
For the message you gave me, I gave them;
And they took it, and were convinced
That I came from you.
They believed that you sent me.
I pray for them.
I’m not praying for the God-rejecting world
But for those you gave me,
For they are yours by right.
Everything mine is yours, and yours mine,
And my life is on display in them.
Jesus, I have not displayed Your life well to those around me. I am sorry. Those who are closest to me really can’t stand me. My life has not shown them Your life, and I am sorry. I am totally lost and don’t know what to do. I have left them down, and You down. I am worthless.
For I’m no longer going to be visible in the world;
They’ll continue in the world
While I return to you.
Holy Father, guard them as they pursue this life
That you conferred as a gift through me,
So they can be one heart and mind
As we are one heart and mind.
Jesus, could we ever be of one heart and one mind? I’ve fallen so short of that. My day to day life is a failure for You. I have no idea how to live the life You want me to life. I am hopeless and ready to give up Lord. I am sorry. I know I am supposed to always trust You and not look at the circumstances around me. I am supposed to be one with You, but I am falling and coming to the end of my rope. I just want to quit.
As long as I was with them, I guarded them
In the pursuit of the life you gave through me;
I even posted a night watch.
And not one of them got away,
Except for the rebel bent on destruction
(the exception that proved the rule of Scripture).
13-19Now I’m returning to you.
I’m saying these things in the world’s hearing
So my people can experience
My joy completed in them.
I gave them your word;
The godless world hated them because of it,
Because they didn’t join the world’s ways,
Just as I didn’t join the world’s ways.
I’m not asking that you take them out of the world
But that you guard them from the Evil One.
They are no more defined by the world
Than I am defined by the world.
Make them holy—consecrated—with the truth;
Your word is consecrating truth.
In the same way that you gave me a mission in the world,
I give them a mission in the world.
I’m consecrating myself for their sakes
So they’ll be truth-consecrated in their mission.
Jesus, You prayed that Your followers would be consecrated in truth and make holy by Your Father. I come to Your Word daily, but I am not holy. I have read Your truth, yet I sin and fall. I do not know what my mission here on earth is. I feel like I am becoming more and more worldly instead of less and less worldly. When will it change Lord?
Father, do not abandon me. I know I don’t deserve a second of Your time, but in Jesus’ name, please, rescue me. Please change me. Please bring faith and hope to my family. Protect me as I am under attack from Satan. He wants my marriage and my children. Hel me Father.
20-23I’m praying not only for them
But also for those who will believe in me
Because of them and their witness about me.
The goal is for all of them to become one heart and mind—
Just as you, Father, are in me and I in you,
So they might be one heart and mind with us.
Then the world might believe that you, in fact, sent me.
The same glory you gave me, I gave them,
So they’ll be as unified and together as we are—
I in them and you in me.
Then they’ll be mature in this oneness,
And give the godless world evidence
That you’ve sent me and loved them
In the same way you’ve loved me.
Jesus, I first wanted to pray that I would be one with my wife as You describe above, and that would be good and I know You want that. But really, I need first to be one with You. Perhaps the reason I am struggling now is that I am so worried about my worldly relationships and not worried enough about being one with You.
Is there hope for me Lord, for us? Could I be one with You and live in peace? Can my inner turmoil and fear give way to a life of love and peace with You? It will take a miracle from You Lord.
24-26Father, I want those you gave me
To be with me, right where I am,
So they can see my glory, the splendor you gave me,
Having loved me
Long before there ever was a world.
Righteous Father, the world has never known you,
But I have known you, and these disciples know
That you sent me on this mission.
I have made your very being known to them—
Who you are and what you do—
And continue to make it known,
So that your love for me
Might be in them
Exactly as I am in them.
Jesus, do You want me to be with You? You may be the only one. How can You love me or want to spend eternity with me? I have been such a failure. Lord, I need some hope. I am so sorry I have not been the person You want. But I do want to spend eternity with You. You are all there is left. Please Lord, change me, change my family, change us all.
*John17*
