The Prayer That Holds Us Together
Few passages in Scripture allow us to overhear the Son of God speaking to His Father with such intimacy and clarity. In John 17:20–26, Jesus lifts His eyes beyond the circle of the eleven disciples and intercedes for every believer who would come to faith through the gospel. This means you and I were in His mind and on His lips the night before the cross. What He prays here is not uncertain longing — it is divine petition, rooted in the eternal will of God.
Set Apart and Sent: Jesus’ Prayer for You
Scripture:
“Holy Father, keep them in your name, which you have given me…”
— John 17:11b
Meaning:
In His final moments before the cross, Jesus turns to the Father and prays—not for the disciples’ comfort, but for their keeping. The word Jesus uses (tēreō) conveys active, covenantal protection. To be kept in God’s “name” is to be preserved in His revealed character, promises, and faithfulness. It is not our grip on God that sustains us, but God’s grip on us.
Kept, United, Sent: The Consecrating Prayer of Christ
Before a soldier is deployed, there is often a moment of solemn commissioning—a final word, a last embrace, a rallying reminder of the mission ahead. That’s what we see here in John 17—not a battlefield, but a prayer room. And not just any prayer, but the prayer of the Son of God, interceding for His own before He goes to the cross.
Chosen and Kept
Jesus begins this portion of His High Priestly Prayer by declaring that He has “manifested Your name to the people whom You gave Me out of the world.” (v.6). These are not just random followers or spiritual seekers—these are those whom the Father has chosen and entrusted to the Son. Election is not a dry doctrine—it is a personal and loving act of the Father toward His people.
The Greatest Prayer Ever Recorded (Part 2)
In John 17:6–11a, we enter the second movement of the most sacred prayer ever recorded—the prayer of the Son to the Father, just hours before His arrest. Having begun in verses 1–5 by focusing on the glory of the cross and the eternal life given to His people, Jesus now turns His intercession toward those whom the Father gave Him out of the world.
The Greatest Prayer Ever Recorded (Part 1)
It’s the night before Jesus will be crucified.
The air in the upper room is thick with sorrow. Feet have been washed. Bread has been broken. Warnings and promises linger in the air. The disciples sit stunned. And then, as they cross the Kidron Valley into the darkness of Gethsemane, Jesus does something that should stop us in our tracks:
He lifts His eyes toward heaven—and He prays.
From the Father’s Hand to the Son’s Heart
Jesus begins His prayer not with a cry for rescue but a cry for glory—through suffering. The “hour” He speaks of is not a time of earthly triumph, but the appointed time of His crucifixion. Yet in His divine perspective, the cross is not a defeat. It is the very means through which the glory of God will be displayed: the justice, mercy, holiness, and love of God converging in one crimson moment.
Take Heart: Peace in the Hour of Trouble
I have said these things to you in figures of speech. The hour is coming when I will no longer speak to you in figures but will tell you plainly about the Father.” — John 16:25
Peace in the Hour of Trouble: How Jesus Offers Clarity, Access, and Victory
When the bombs fell during the London Blitz, a father and his young son ran to a nearby shelter. The boy, terrified and trembling, stood at the edge of a bomb crater and cried out, “Daddy, I can’t see you!” His father, already in the hole, replied, “But I can see you. Jump!” The boy leapt—trusting the voice that he loved, and that he knew loved him.
When Sorrow Turns to Singing: The Promise of Unshakable Joy
There’s a kind of sorrow that sinks beneath the skin. The kind that doesn’t simply pass with time or distraction. It’s the sorrow of waiting, of longing, of not understanding what God is doing. The disciples felt that kind of sorrow when Jesus told them He was leaving. “A little while,” He said. But to them, it felt like darkness descending. And yet, hidden in His words was a promise that would turn their grief into glory: their sorrow would not only end—it would give birth to joy.