The Greatest Prayer

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“I do not ask for these only, but also for those who will believe in me through their word, that they may all be one, just as you, Father, are in me, and I in you, that they also may be in us, so that the world may believe that you have sent me. The glory that you have given me I have given to them, that they may be one even as we are one, I in them and you in me, that they may become perfectly one, so that the world may know that you sent me and loved them even as you loved me. Father, I desire that they also, whom you have given me, may be with me where I am, to see my glory that you have given me because you loved me before the foundation of the world. O righteous Father, even though the world does not know you, I know you, and these know that you have sent me. I made known to them your name, and I will continue to make it known, that the love with which you have loved me may be in them, and I in them." (John 17:20-26 ESV)
 
John 17, Jesus’ high priestly prayer, is one of my favorite chapters in scripture and, in my estimation, is the greatest prayer ever prayed. And vv.20-26, in particular, is my favorite section within the chapter. It is always amazing to me and extremely comforting that my Lord and Savior prayed, specifically for me, 2,000 years ago on the eve of his betrayal and crucifixion. With all that he was about to experience, he takes the time to pray for me and all future believers. In v.20 he prays, "I do not ask for these only, but also for those who will believe in me through their word…" Thus, he is not only praying for the eleven disciples who are there with him in the Garden of Gethsemane, but he is also praying for all those who will come to believe in him through their ministry. And he prays for four specific items.

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