(John 17:1-26) The commentator describes this passage in John as really the true “Lord’s Prayer”. That aside, how amazing, and humbling, it is to read that Jesus spent time in prayer to the Father for us. And it wasn’t just us as the world, but those of us that have chosen to follow Him. He was lifting us up to God the Father, even while knowing how we would stumble in our walk with Him. The sticking point for me is how amazing God’s love is, to a people so undeserving of it.
The other amazing part of reading Christ’s prayer for us, is the very fact that we have the Scriptures today. Time and again, as the Scriptures come under attack and scrutiny, it continues the test of time. How can people so easily dismiss it? I believe that it comes down to the hardened and sinful nature within us. We are always in a constant battle with our flesh. We cannot overcome it on our own, and that is what the difference is between the Christian and non-believer. We cannot follow Christ on our own merits or ability. Only by the hand of God, His reaching out to us, are we able to follow Christ.
This really does bring us back to the question of why Christ would pray for us, and why He would die on the cross for us. We needed God to reach to us, cause we cannot reach Him on our own. I thank God for His unfailing eternal love for us. Amen!
