Message #10 (of 20) from the PrayerPower radio series
"Praying John 17"

by Kaye Johns

We are considering Jesus’s prayer of John 17 as a prayer to pray for ourselves and others in the body of Christ. Some of the things Jesus prayed may cause us to stop and think. In verse 14 we read, "[Father,] I have given them your word, and the world has hated them, for they are not of the world any more than I am of the world." [John 17:14]

That would be as true for Jesus’s disciples today as it was for His disciples then, wouldn’t it? We are no longer of the world; Jesus had already affirmed in His prayer that His disciples belong to Him [John 17:6], they no longer belong to Satan. Jesus knew that His disciples would proclaim the truth--and the truth is not always well received in the world.

As we pray through this prayer with Jesus, we should examine our own lives. We might be led by this verse to pray something like this: "Father, help us to be those who are obviously Jesus’s disciples. May we live in such a way that the world knows we belong to Jesus. May we not be afraid of anyone’s reaction to our faith or our witness because we know that Jesus has covered us with His prayer and is praying for us now."

Sometimes it takes courage to ask for certain things in prayer, even when we know it is God’s will.

Pray with me now -- Father, Help us not to be afraid to pray prayers that may cost us something. In Jesus’ name, amen.

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