John 17 Devotional

Prayed For by the Son

“Father, I want those You have given Me to be with Me where I am, that they may see the glory You gave Me because You loved Me before the foundation of the world.”John 17:24 (BSB)

Before he goes to the cross, Jesus looks up to heaven and prays. He asks the Father to glorify the Son, who has authority to give eternal life to all the Father has given him (17:1-2). Eternal life, he says, is at heart a relationship: knowing the one true God and the Son he sent (17:3). Then he prays for his disciples. They belonged to the Father, the Father gave them to the Son, and Jesus has guarded them so that none was lost except the son of destruction (17:6, 12).

He asks the Father to protect them from the evil one, to make them holy by the truth, and to make them one (17:15-21). Jesus also prays for everyone who will believe in him through their message (17:20), which includes every believer since. His final request is that they would be with him and see his glory (17:24). Hebrews says he still lives to intercede for his people (Hebrews 7:25). Before you ever prayed for yourself, Jesus prayed for you, and he has not stopped.

To think about: How might it change your prayers today to know that Jesus has already prayed for you?