John 17

Devotional by Raye Anne Edmonds

Read John 17

John 17

The High Priestly Prayer

When Jesus had spoken these words, he lifted up his eyes to heaven, and said, “Father, the hour has come; glorify your Son that the Son may glorify you, since you have given him authority over all flesh, to give eternal life to all whom you have given him. And this is eternal life, that they know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent. I glorified you on earth, having accomplished the work that you gave me to do. And now, Father, glorify me in your own presence with the glory that I had with you before the world existed.

“I have manifested your name to the people   whom you gave me out of the world.   Yours they were, and you gave them to me, and they have kept your word. Now they know that everything that you have given me is from you. For I have given them the words that you gave me, and they have received them and have come to know in truth that I came from you; and they have believed that you sent me. I am praying for them. I am not praying for the world but for those whom you have given me, for they are yours. All mine are yours, and yours are mine, and I am glorified in them. And I am no longer in the world, but they are in the world, and I am coming to you. Holy Father, keep them in your name, which you have given me, that they may be one, even as we are one. While I was with them, I kept them in your name, which you have given me. I have guarded them, and not one of them has been lost except the son of destruction, that the Scripture might be fulfilled. But now I am coming to you, and these things I speak in the world, that they may have my joy fulfilled in themselves. I have given them your word, and the world has hated them because they are not of the world, just as I am not of the world. I do not ask that you take them out of the world, but that you keep them from the evil one. They are not of the world, just as I am not of the world. Sanctify them  in the truth; your word is truth.  18As you sent me into the world, so I have sent them into the world. And for their sake I consecrate myself,  that they also may be sanctified  in truth.

“I do not ask for these only, but also for those   who will believe in me through their word, that they may all be one, just as you, Father, are in me, and I in you, that they also may be in us, so that the world may believe that you have sent me. The glory that you have given me I have given to them, that they may be one even as we are one, I in them and you in me, that they may become perfectly one, so that the world may know that you sent me and loved them even as you loved me. Father, I desire that they also, whom you have given me, may be with me where I am, to see my glory that you have given me because you loved me before the foundation of the world. O righteous Father, even though the world does not know you, I know you, and these know that you have sent me. I made known to them your name, and I will continue to make it known, that the love with which you have loved me may be in them, and I in them.”

Scripture quotations are from the ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®), copyright © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved. The ESV text may not be quoted in any publication made available to the public by a Creative Commons license. The ESV may not be translated in whole or in part into any other language.

Devotional

The chapters prior contain some of Jesus’ final words with His disciples. He is prepared, ready, and headed confidently to the cross, having completed the work the Father gave Him to do.

Now, He is preparing His disciples to continue His mission, and He ends this time with them by praying to His Father in their hearing. How encouraged and strengthened they must have been to hear His prayers to the Father on their behalf!

We now have the incredible privilege of listening in on Jesus’ prayer to His Father just before He gave His life for us. Can you hear Jesus’ love for us expressed to the Father in His prayer? Hebrews 7:25 tells us that Jesus always lives to make intercession for us. Even now, He is praying for us as we continue the work of sharing Jesus with those He has entrusted to us.

What does Jesus ask the Father? That we would be protected from the evil one, sanctified by the truth of the Word, and unified as one with the Father and Jesus. We can be so encouraged to know how our Lord prays for us! Through this, He also provides us with an example of how to pray for one another.

Who in your life today would be encouraged and strengthened to hear you pray to the Father on their behalf? Remember, you are a royal priesthood!


14 thoughts on “Day Seventeen | Who is Jesus?

  1. “There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.” Romans 8:1.

  2. Who in your life today would be encouraged and strengthened to hear you pray to the Father on their behalf? Remember, you are a royal priesthood! I am currently praying for my brother who has gone through much hurt and strife in his life. I am believing that he will be protected from the evil one, sanctified by the truth of the Word, and unified as one with the Father and Jesus. I know I am a royal priesthood and a child of the King! Royal blood flows through my veins. I want to share that with everyone! Exalting His Holy Name! Blessings to All!

  3. I’m thankful that I can go to the Lord in prayer and intercede for the many that He places on my heart. The picture of them “over hearing” our prayers to the Father is a beautiful one – what a joy to know that prayers are being lifted to the King who cares for all of our concerns.

    1. I pray and thank the Lord that he hears my prayers. I thank Him for all my blessings. PRAISE THE LORD AND GIVE HIM THE GLORY.📖🕊✝🙏

  4. Father help me to pray with my words with truth and love in the mighty name of Jesus! Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in your sight my Lord my rock and my redeemer! Amen

  5. “And this is eternal life, that they know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent.”

    Eternal life isn’t just once I reach Heaven … it starts now with the joy of knowing God and Jesus!! Praise the Lord.

    1. Amen
      Those new to the road be encouraged that Jesus prayed for us long ago. That even my mustard seed will be mighty because I was given to Christ

  6. Thank you Lord for the privilege of being your child and knowing you continue without ceasing to pray for me. Let me exercise the privilege you have provided to pray for all that are sick, hurting and grieving. Let my words of praise and worship accompany my prayers to you today. In Jesus name. 🙏🏾

  7. I love how Jesus ends his prayer. “I made known to them your name, and I will continue to make it known, that the love with which you have loved me may be in them, and I in them.” His desire is for us to continue to share the gospel and his love. Because it’s in Jesus perfect love we can love. Thank you Lord for loving me, for saving me, and for your desire to bring salvation to the lost and broken.

  8. I love this “High Priestly Prayer because HE prayed for me longggggg ago & still as my High Priest, intercedes on my behalf. All believers have the very life of GOD, thanks to JESUS; our identity is in HIM, the THREE in ONE. To GOD be (all) glory.

  9. Who in your life today would be encouraged and strengthened to hear you pray to the Father on their behalf? Remember, you are a royal priesthood!

    I think that in the fact that God would be encouraged and strengthened to hear me pray to him on his behalf, because of the fact that we need to also understand his words of wisdom and resect his teachings by humbling ourselves to his point of view.

  10. I wonder what the disciples were thinking as they heard Jesus praying. I’m so grateful that we have.His Words to read and reread to remind ourselves of His Words for us, as well.

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