Category: Daily Prayer

Our scripture this week is John 17:1-11.

After Jesus said this, he looked toward heaven and prayed: “Father, the hour has come. Glorify your Son, that your Son may glorify you. For you granted him authority over all people that he might give eternal life to all those you have given him. Now this is eternal life: that they know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent. I have brought you glory on earth by finishing the work you gave me to do. And now, Father, glorify me in your presence with the glory I had with you before the world began. 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.”
John 17:1-11

Jesus prayed for His disciples and followers often, but on this night He made a special request, asking God that they might all be one in Him. Jesus knew that it would be difficult for them after His return to heaven, that they would need strength and hope to continue His work. Jesus is also preparing Himself in prayer for the ordeal that awaits Him.

His prayer is an acknowledgment that everything He has been given and has done comes from God. Do we go to God with thanks for the blessing of success, or do we only come with requests? Jesus taught us that prayer is to share everything with God, not just to ask for what we want.

God is the source of all things and every good gift is from Him. Jesus was well aware of all He had been given and the responsibility God had laid on Him. We too must go to God with gratitude for what we have received and what we can accomplish.

Gracious God, we are humbled by the generosity of Your blessings to us. May we be grateful for our gifts and use them as You intend in our world. Amen.

Our scripture this week is John 14:15-21.

“If you love me, keep my commands. And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another advocate to help you and be with you forever— the Spirit of truth. The world cannot accept him, because it neither sees him nor knows him. But you know him, for he lives with you and will be in you. I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you. Before long, the world will not see me anymore, but you will see me. Because I live, you also will live. On that day you will realize that I am in my Father, and you are in me, and I am in you. Whoever has my commands and keeps them is the one who loves me. The one who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I too will love them and show myself to them.

Jesus tells us if we love Him, we will keep His commands. Our obedience is the way to show we love Jesus because we do what He has taught us. Humans have a pretty poor record of obeying, so we will need all the help we can get!

He tells us that even though He will be returning to the Father, there will be support for us always. The Holy Spirit will be His presence with us and in us to remind, teach and guide, just as He has. However, it is now up to each of us to share His love and His spirit with the rest of the world.

Jesus leaves us an awesome responsibility, but He promises we will not be alone. God will send “another advocate” to be with us. With each other’s help and the Holy Spirit present in us, we can keep His commands and do His will.

Loving Lord, we are weak, but with Your Spirit in us we are enabled and encouraged to do the work You give. Bless us to be the strong witnesses needed in Your world. Amen.

Our scripture this week is John 14:15-21.

Whoever has my commands and keeps them is the one who loves me. The one who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I too will love them and show myself to them.”
John 14:21

Jesus teaches that our obedience is key to God’s plan for us. We have His commands, we know what is expected of us and we show our love for God by keeping (obeying) them. We have received His instructions from the very beginning, and sadly, we have a poor record of following them.

Genesis 1:28 gives us our first commandment to manage God’s creation, Genesis 2:17 warns us not to eat the forbidden fruit. Later on, God gave laws to the Hebrews to help guide them as His people, to worship Him alone and live together in peace (Exodus 20). God has always told us what He wanted for us and from us.

During Jesus time on Earth the religious leaders had put together numerous complicated and largely unfair rules to attempt to cover every possible situation. Jesus cut through all that with the simple instruction “Love the Lord with all your heart and your neighbor as yourself “. This is the greatest commandment, the one He says we will keep if we love Him.

Gracious God, we are thankful for Jesus coming to love and save and free us. Help us to be Your people, aware of Your call on our lives and obedient to Your will. Amen.

Our scripture this week is John 14:15-21.

On that day you will realize that I am in my Father, and you are in me, and I am in you. John 14:20

Jesus continues to teach us how we are connected to the Father through Him and to each other. When asked what was the greatest commandment, He answered “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself” (Matthew 22:37-39). He tells us that our relationship with God and our brothers and sisters is the most important thing of all.

When we ignore or forget this association we “disconnect” from the way God would have us go. Only by loving God and our neighbor are we able to accomplish our purpose. We are not living fully without this relationship.

Jesus wants the disciples (and us) to understand how vital this is to our salvation and being able to continue His work. Some have compared it to being plugged in to a power source – if we are connected, God’s grace and love flow through us to be shared with the world. We are called to pass on what God has given us to everyone.

Loving Lord, we are amazed and humbled that You choose us for your work here on earth. Help us to be enthusiastic workers, powered by our relationship with You. Amen.

Our scripture this week is John 14:15-21.

I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you. Before long, the world will not see me anymore, but you will see me. Because I live, you also will live.
John 14:18-19

Jesus gives us a wonderful promise, that we will not be left alone, and that because He lives, we shall live also. He tells us that although the world will no longer see Him, we will continue to know His presence. The Holy Spirit works in us and through us so that His love may still be shared with all God’s children.

Even the most solitary among us need the warmth of contact with others now and then. We were made for each other and the desire to be connected is within us all. Through the Holy Spirit we are able to stay in touch with our Heavenly Father and continue the work Jesus began here.

We all need time alone to process and rest, but God did not intend for us to live in continual isolation. During the last few months we have had to separate ourselves from each other for everyone’s protection, but as we see it is not our normal state. The Holy Spirit is with us always, encouraging us to relate to one another as Jesus did.

Wise and Wonderful God, we are thankful for the gift of relationship with You and the chance to share that joy with others. Help us to use our connection with each other to build Your kingdom, bringing all the earth to know Your love. Amen.

Our scripture this week is John 14:15-21.

And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another advocate to help you and be with you forever — the Spirit of truth. The world cannot accept him, because it neither sees him nor knows him. But you know him, for he lives with you and will be in you.
John 14:16-17

We are promised “another advocate”, the Holy Spirit, as a guide and friend. Jesus teaches that God will be with us in this way to remind us of what we have learned. His presence is a constant love supporting us every day.

Just as God the Father and Jesus the Son have done, the Holy Spirit is not a coercive force, but one that encourages us to follow the example we have been given. We bear the responsibility for our own thoughts, words and actions. It is our choice to be obedient children or not, and there is no exception to this.

The Holy Spirit has sometimes been explained with the acronym WWJHUD (what would Jesus have us do). This is our memory device to ask ourselves how Jesus would want us to handle a situation. We don’t always choose well, but if we ask forgiveness from the Lord and those we have wronged, and earnestly try to do better, we can regain our footing on the path Jesus set for us.

Loving Lord, we are often emotional and selfish creatures, choosing our desires over what we know is right. Help us to be strong in the Spirit, remembering the gifts and responsibilities we have been given. Amen.

Our scripture this week is John 14:15-21.

“If you love me, keep my commands. And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another advocate to help you and be with you forever.”
John 14:15-16

Jesus knows how bewildered His disciples are at this time. Even now we struggle to understand what He taught and the call He places on our lives. However, He promises that if we keep His commandments, God will send the Holy Spirit to be with us and in us forever.

The hardest task we face as humans is being obedient. God made us in His image with the ability to choose our actions. We are responsible to ourselves and each other, but most importantly, to God for what we say and do.

Jesus promised that God would send His presence to be with us through the Holy Spirit. He knows that we need help and guidance, someone to encourage us on the right path. We are assured of Him working in us when we keep His commandments to love God and one another, and to go make disciples of all the world.

Heavenly Father, we give thanks that You are with us always. Help us to be obedient children, keeping the commandments You have given us. Amen.

Our scripture this week is John 14:15-21.

“If you love me, keep my commands. And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another advocate to help you and be with you forever— the Spirit of truth. The world cannot accept him, because it neither sees him nor knows him. But you know him, for he lives with you and will be in you. I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you. Before long, the world will not see me anymore, but you will see me. Because I live, you also will live. On that day you will realize that I am in my Father, and you are in me, and I am in you. Whoever has my commands and keeps them is the one who loves me. The one who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I too will love them and show myself to them.”
John 14:15-21

Jesus continues His final instructions to the disciples, describing the coming of the Holy Spirit and the need to keep His commandments. He warns them the world won’t readily accept the Holy Spirit, but that the spirit will live in them. Then He repeats His promise to return for those who love Him.

Jesus knows His disciples (and us) well, and He knows we all will need courage and support for continuing His ministry. We know we can’t do it alone. He encourages us, saying “Because I live, you also will live” (v. 19), that His love and strength will go with us.

The call He places on our lives is not easy, but we are given the necessary gifts. The Holy Spirit is here for us. If we love Jesus, He will live and work in us and we can go to share His love with a world in desperate need of that blessing.

Light of the World, we are not ready for the responsibility You give us, but with Your spirit we are bold to go in Your name. Be with us as we spread the Good News to all Your children. Amen.