John 17:6-19 “I have revealed you to those whom you gave me out of the world. They were yours; you gave them to me and they have obeyed your word. Now they know that everything you have given me comes from you. For I gave them the words you gave me and they accepted them. They knew with certainty that I came from you, and they believed that you sent me. I pray for them. I am not praying for the world, but for those you have given me, for they are yours. All I have is yours, and all you have is mine. And glory has come to me through them. I will remain in the world no longer, but they are still in the world, and I am coming to you. Holy Father, protect them by the power of your name, the name you gave me, so that they may be one as we are one. While I was with them, I protected them and kept them safe by that name you gave me. None has been lost except the one doomed to destruction so that Scripture would be fulfilled. “I am coming to you now, but I say these things while I am still in the world, so that they may have the full measure of my joy within them. 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. My prayer is not that you take them out of the world but that you protect them from the evil one. They are not of the world, even as I am not of it. Sanctify them by the truth; your word is truth. As you sent me into the world, I have sent them into the world. For them I sanctify myself, that they too may be truly sanctified.
Continuing Pastor Kyle's message on learnings from Jesus' prayer. Pastor Kyle gave us four key points for us on what and who to pray for. (1) We should pray for ourselves to glorify and obey God in everything. Romans 15:5-6 says, “Now may the God of patience and comfort grant you to be like-minded toward one another, according to Christ Jesus, that you may with one mind and one mouth glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.” The negative impact is explained in Proverbs 28:9, “If anyone turns a deaf ear to my instruction, even their prayers are detestable.” The positive is explained in Daniel 10:12, “Do not be afraid, Daniel. Since the first day that you set your mind to gain understanding and to humble yourself before your God, your words were heard, and I have come in response to them.” Do we want our prayers heard? Set your hearts on understanding the Lord and the Word of God. Examine yourself and pray for your needs in where you lack in the eyes of the Lord and the purposes of the kingdom of Heaven.
Ephesians 6:17-18 “Take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God; praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, being watchful to this end with all perseverance and supplication for all the saints.”
(2) We should pray for other Christians. Pray that God keep His children providing a hedge of protection in the world for kingdom purposes and personal blessings in life, as they stay in this fallen world making a difference and grow in truth, in Jesus’ name. Pray for the unity of Believers and all disciples in all nations of the world. 1 Timothy 2:1-2 tells us, “I exhort first of all that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks be made for all men, for kings and all who are in authority, that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and reverence.” Remember, Jesus prayed for us.
John 17:20-23 “I do not pray for these alone, but also for those who will believe in Me through their word; that 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 the glory which You gave Me I have given them, that they may be one just as We are one: I 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.”
(3) We should pay for unity within the church. The word division is the contraction of two words “Di” meaning “two” and “Vision” meaning “view”; together “two views”. Division is Satan’s playground. The church is the body of Christ, with Him as the head. Amos 3:3 asks, “Can two walk together, unless they are agreed?” Are we praying for the Christian church and its unity in following the Jesus’ word, will and way, putting personal preferences aside? Psalm 133:1 proclaims, “Behold, how good and how pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in unity!” We are one in Christ! The Apostle Paul said in 1 Corinthians 1:10, “Now I plead with you, brethren, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that you all speak the same thing, and that there be no divisions among you, but that you be perfectly joined together in the same mind and in the same judgment.”
John 17:25-26 “O righteous Father! The world has not known You, but I have known You; and these have known that You sent Me. And I have declared to them Your name, and will declare it, that the love with which You loved Me may be in them, and I in them.”
(4) We should pray for the world. Pray for the world you are trying to reach for Christ’s sake. The Lord Jesus commanded in Matthew 28:18-20, “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” This applies to both the world that does not know the Lord and our world within our sphere of influence.
Everyone’s prayer life can be improved. The key is to love God back in prayer and desire to spend time and talk with your heavenly Father. Come to Him and connect, listening to His coaching and counselling as He celebrates with us in the victories and cries with us in the sorrows of life. But, we always knows that He is there and cares.
In Christ, Brian
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