Jesus is praying for you.

Reflections from John 17

Jesus is praying for you.

We pray often for the people we love. But did you know that Jesus is praying for you?

The Bible says that Jesus lives to intercede for us (Heb. 7:25).

In John 17, we get a glimpse of what Jesus prayed for his friends, the disciples. As with so many things in John’s gospel, what Jesus says to and does for his friends is a particular embodiment, a concentrated and concrete expression, of what he says to and does for all who will be called by his name. So we can look at the five things that Jesus asks the Father to do for his disciples and hear them as prayers for us too.

1. That the Father will watch over us. (“Holy Father, watch over them in your name, the name you gave me...” John 17:11b)

2. That the Father would keep us safe from the evil one. (“I’m not asking that you take them out of this world but that you keep them safe from the evil one.” John 17:15)

3. That the Father would make us holy. (“Make them holy in the truth; your word is truth.” John 17:17)

4. That we would be one just as Jesus and the Father are one. (“I pray they will be one, Father, just as you are in me and I am in you.” John 17:21a)

5. That we would be in the Father and the Son. (“I pray that they also will be in us, so that the world will believe that you sent me.” John 17:21b)

Today, if you feel lonely and overwhelmed, maybe even too out of sorts to pray, remember: Jesus is praying for you.