The (Real) Lord's Prayer

In the blogs over the last few weeks we have been looking at prayers.  Most times when someone prays at a church service they are praying on behalf of everyone there.   Usually they will use pronouns like “we” and “us” so that the congregation can pray along with them.  I am sure we have all experienced a different sort of group prayer.  I am speaking of those times when one person or group prays for another.  I hope each of you has had the opportunity to have someone pray for you.   In these situations we sit or stand before God and in our spirits we affirm what is being prayed over us.  Depending on our church traditions we may “amen” along with the person praying or hold out our hands to God to symbolize our receptiveness to His blessing or healing that is being asked for.   Amen is a Hebrew word that means “I want that” or “yes” or “let it be so”.  Even though our words do not match theirs, our hearts affirm what they are asking for. 

John’s Gospel records a very special prayer for you.  Jesus himself prayed for all his believers.  John chapter 17 is Jesus’ prayer before his arrest.  He prays for himself (vs 1-5), for his disciples (vs 6-19) and for all of us (vs 20-26).  I would argue that this prayer should be called “the Lord’s Prayer”, since He prayed it, and that the other prayer sometimes called by that name should be the “Our Father”, since the Lord didn’t pray it. But that is just my personal preference.

What I would like you to do is to read through the part below (the part where He prays for us).  Imagine that Jesus is with you and that He is praying this over you.  As you do let your heart, mouth and body “amen” along with our Lord as he is still praying for us today.

²⁰ "My prayer is not for (the disciples) alone. I pray also for those who will believe in me through their message, ²¹ that all of them may be one, Father, just as you are in me and I am in you. May they also be in us so that the world may believe that you have sent me. ²² I have given them the glory that you gave me, that they may be one as we are one: ²³ I in them and you in me. May they be brought to complete unity to let the world know that you sent me and have loved them even as you have loved me. ²⁴ "Father, I want those you have given me to be with me where I am, and to see my glory, the glory you have given me because you loved me before the creation of the world. ²⁵ "Righteous Father, though the world does not know you, I know you, and they know that you have sent me. ²⁶ I have made you known to them, and will continue to make you known in order that the love you have for me may be in them and that I myself may be in them."
John 17:20-26 (NIV)

I pray along with Jesus that His unity with us and God would show in our CH programs.  I pray that His glory would be shown through us as we serve Him.  I pray that by that unity and glory the world may believe.

Mark Wallace