Jesus Continues to Pray for His Disciples

9 “I pray for them. I do not pray for the world but for those you gave me, for they belong to you. 10 All I have is yours, and all you have is mine; and my glory is shown through them. 11 And now I am coming to you; I am no longer in the world, but they are in the world. Holy Father! Keep them safe by the power of your name, the name you gave me, so that they may be one just as you and I are one. 12 While I was with them, I kept them safe by the power of your name, the name you gave me. I protected them, and not one of them was lost, except the man who was bound to be lost—so that the scripture might come true. 13 And now I am coming to you, and I say these things in the world so that they might have my joy in their hearts in all its fullness.”

God is all-powerful and everywhere-present. God so loved the whole world that he gave us his Son, so that whoever believes in him will not perish but have eternal life. God is everywhere and loves everyone, yet Jesus is telling us that he has a special love for his children, those who through rebirth have his very nature. God is our Father. For the Spirit that God has given you does not make you slaves and cause you to be afraid; instead, the Spirit makes you God’s children, and by the Spirit’s power we cry out to God, “Father! my Father!” (Romans 8:15) And Jesus keeps praying personally for his friends, for his brothers and sisters. He lives to intercede for us.
Remarkably, we bring glory to Christ when we come to him and serve him. Jesus knew that his work on earth was nearly over, so he commissioned his disciples to carry on his work and to tell others about what he has done.
While we remain in this world, God will protect us with the power of his name, and he does it for a singular purpose: so that we may be one as Jesus and the Father are one. This doesn’t mean that bad things will not happen to the followers of Christ, but that the transcendent presence and power of God will sustain us through difficult times. The apostle Paul heard God say, “My grace is all you need” (2 Corinthians 12:9). As David said: The Lord is my shepherd; I have everything I need (Psalm 23:1). Jesus, the Good Shepherd, has gone to heaven, but he’s left us a full measure of his joy.
This passage suggests that we are sustained by God through our relationships with one another. God has created us to serve him by serving one another. Yes, we can do everything through Christ who strengthens us; however, Paul commended the Philippian Christians saying, It was very good of you to help me in my troubles (Philippians 4:14).

Prayer

God of eternity and every moment, we don’t have words to express our overwhelming sense of gratitude for what your Son did to forgive us and bring us into your family. Thank you that we become one with you through Christ. One in purpose, but also one in nature. You love everyone, but oh, the mystery, you love each of us personally. And Jesus, thank you for your prayers. You know what’s headed our way, and like your prayer for Peter the night he betrayed you, you are praying for us that our faith won’t fail. You cover us with your great name. Amen.

Going Deeper

Ponder this: All I have is yours, and all you have is mine. Perhaps you can take this statement with you today. How will it help you through your day? Your week? How will you take Jesus and his message of transformation with you to work? And back home again?