Journey together with Jesus in the season of Lent
Material from "Everyday With Jesus"
1 March 2006
Prayer reveals the pray-er
For reading and meditation - John 17:1-26
"My prayer is not that you take them out of the world but that you protect them from the evil ones" (v15)
There is no better way to prepare our hearts for the Easter season, I believe, than by a serious comtemplation of the prayer of our Lord found in John 17. It is to this sublime passage, therefore, that I intend to draw your attention in the weeks that lie ahead. Today we begin by reading the whole prayer, and then we shall focus on it verse by verse and phrase by phrase.
It is customary to refer to the prayer Christ framed for his disciples which is recorded in luke 11 and matt 6 as the Lord's prayer, but in reality that was not a prayer Jesus used Himself - at least not in its entirety. I cannot imagine him praying "forgive us our sins" for he had no sins to forgive. In John 17, however, we see our lord himself at prayer. The prayer we are about to study was prayed in the shadow of the cross, just moments b4 jesus left the upper room and went with his disciples into the dark valley of the kidron.
We can tell a lot about people by the way they pray. When I was a pastor I could frequently detect where individuals were spiritually by listening closely to their prayers. Something they would say, a phrase they might use, would be like a window into their soul. I would then encourage them to open up to me to share what was going on in their life. Often, though not always, our conversation would lead to the discussion of some important issues affecting their life.
What do we learn about our Lord as we listen to him pray within hours of being crucified? One thing we discover is that though his body would soon be stretched on a cross, his primary thoughts were not himself but the wellbeing of his disciples. The prayer reveals the pray-er. And how!
Prayer:
Gracious and loving Father, unfold to me by your Spirit the riches and depth of this, my savior's prayer. May my experience be that new light breaks forth from your Word as I meditate on it day by day. In Jesus' name. Amen.
Prayer reveals the pray-er
For reading and meditation - John 17:1-26
"My prayer is not that you take them out of the world but that you protect them from the evil ones" (v15)
There is no better way to prepare our hearts for the Easter season, I believe, than by a serious comtemplation of the prayer of our Lord found in John 17. It is to this sublime passage, therefore, that I intend to draw your attention in the weeks that lie ahead. Today we begin by reading the whole prayer, and then we shall focus on it verse by verse and phrase by phrase.
It is customary to refer to the prayer Christ framed for his disciples which is recorded in luke 11 and matt 6 as the Lord's prayer, but in reality that was not a prayer Jesus used Himself - at least not in its entirety. I cannot imagine him praying "forgive us our sins" for he had no sins to forgive. In John 17, however, we see our lord himself at prayer. The prayer we are about to study was prayed in the shadow of the cross, just moments b4 jesus left the upper room and went with his disciples into the dark valley of the kidron.
We can tell a lot about people by the way they pray. When I was a pastor I could frequently detect where individuals were spiritually by listening closely to their prayers. Something they would say, a phrase they might use, would be like a window into their soul. I would then encourage them to open up to me to share what was going on in their life. Often, though not always, our conversation would lead to the discussion of some important issues affecting their life.
What do we learn about our Lord as we listen to him pray within hours of being crucified? One thing we discover is that though his body would soon be stretched on a cross, his primary thoughts were not himself but the wellbeing of his disciples. The prayer reveals the pray-er. And how!
Prayer:
Gracious and loving Father, unfold to me by your Spirit the riches and depth of this, my savior's prayer. May my experience be that new light breaks forth from your Word as I meditate on it day by day. In Jesus' name. Amen.
No comments:
Post a Comment