Before His arrest in the Garden of Gethsemane, Jesus prayed for Himself, His disciples, and for all believers in Him.  Did you know that?  Yes, He spent His last hours of freedom on this earth in prayer.

That shows how important prayer is to God and how much Jesus loves us.  He put everything else aside at the end of His life to pray. 

First, He prayed to the Father for glorification as God’s Son to finish the work He was sent to do (Read John 17:1-5). He also included that His glory would in turn glorify the Father by Jesus becoming the eternal life that would save all who believe; that people would know both God the Father as the one true God and Jesus, His Son.  So, He included all believers in this prayer as well!  Jesus also asked the Father to restore Him to the glorious standing He had with the Father prior to the creation of this world.  Wow!  That confirms the apostle John’s claim in the beginning of this book, Chapter 1:1-5:

¹In the beginning was the Word (Jesus), and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. ²He (Jesus) was in the beginning with God. ³All things were made through Him, and without Him nothing was made that was made. ⁴In Him was life, and the life was the light of men. ⁵And the light shines in the darkness (the world), and the darkness did not comprehend it.

Next Jesus prayed for His disciples. He declared them as belonging to God the Father, Who in turn gave them to Jesus.  He entrusted them into the care of the Father:

¹⁵I do not pray that You should take them out of the world, but that You should keep them from the evil one. ¹⁶They are not of the world, just as I am not of the world. ¹⁷Sanctify them by Your truth. Your word is truth. ¹⁸As You sent Me into the world, I also have sent them into the world. ~John 17:15-18

And by example, Jesus showed how the Gospel was to be spread throughout the world.  Even today, each teacher makes disciples to take the Good News further and further to the lost.  No one can improve on God’s perfect plan.

Before He headed on over the Brook Kidron to meet up with His accusers in the garden, Jesus prayed one last time for US – all believers! Isn’t that pure love on His part to not leave out one single person who comes to Him?  Even facing capture and certain death, Jesus prayed these words:

²⁰I do not pray for these alone but for also those who will believe in Me through their word; ²¹that they all may be one, as You, Father, are in Me, and I in You; that they also may be one in Us, that the world may believe that You sent Me.

And Jesus nails it down to endow all believers with even more!

²²And the glory which You gave Me I have given them, that they may be one just as We are one: ²³I in them, and You in Me; that they may be made perfect in one, and that the world may know that You have sent Me, and have loved them as You have loved Me. ~John 17:20- 23

It is hard to comprehend, how much Jesus interceded on our behalf!  He established our bill of rights, so to speak, with the Father.  We are to be as one with God and Jesus, and be glorified as Jesus was from before the world was formed.  We shall be made perfect in Jesus, so that the world will see that Jesus was truly sent by God the Father to earth to be the Redeemer of men.  And that God loves people just as much as He loves His own Son, Jesus.

What a message!  Join me today with joy and thanksgiving to praise our loving God in Heaven for His gift of salvation to all who believe!

These things I have spoken to you, that in Me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world. ~John 16:33

I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me. ~John 14:6

Bless you for visiting this blog.  May it encourage you with the message of God’s love, joy, and peace, until Jesus returns for His own.

And thank you for following Importantstuff.Live!

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