After Jesus had spoken these words, he looked up to heaven and said, “Father, the hour has come; glorify your Son so that the Son may glorify you, since you have given him authority over all people, to give eternal life to all whom you have given him. And this is eternal life, that they may know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent. I glorified you on earth by finishing the work that you gave me to do. So now, Father, glorify me in your own presence with the glory that I had in your presence before the world existed. “I have made your name known to those whom you gave me from the world. They were yours, and you gave them to me, and they have kept your word. Now they know that everything you have given me is from you; for the words that you gave to me I have given to them, and they have received them and know in truth that I came from you; and they have believed that you sent me. I am asking on their behalf; I am not asking on behalf of the world, but on behalf of those whom you gave me, because they are yours. All mine are yours, and yours are mine; and I have been glorified in them. And now I am no longer in the world, but they are in the world, and I am coming to you. Holy Father, protect them in your name that you have given me, so that they may be one, as we are one. (John 17:1-11, NRSV)
“Lord teach us to pray…” Is a line we do not see in the Gospel of John.
Could this be the Lord’s Prayer in John?
But think about it for a moment…
Jesus is with His disciples teaching them… Then there is the washing of the feet (chapter 13) and the new commandment…
And the teaching continues…
And then Jesus is praying!
He did not go any where, the disciples are still with Him! They are hearing everything He is saying in this prayer.
In John chapter 17, we hear Jesus’ prayer before His arrest, and the disciples are right there with him, all of them! They are not away on a rock sleeping while He is off alone praying, they are hearing His conversation with the Father!
So Jesus shows us that prayer is nothing more than a conversation, and in that not a private one, but one made known to all. It is a way to show others the love He has for them and the love God has for them, and who they are. Jesus shows us that prayer isn’t always about us, but it is always about God and who we are and who those around us are in Him.
So listen and speak, and talk to God and don’t worry about who is or is not listening. But know when you do speak to Him that He is always listening and eager to hear you!
aSacredRebel 