Greetings
The pastoral prayer of Jesus is very instructive for us who believe in Him. It is a revelation of His deepest desires for the disciples and the world before His death. Not only is it a plea for our unity on earth, but it is also a plea for our security IN the Trinity during the rough times He knew were coming. Hear a bit in today’s Holy Nougat
“I am not asking that You take them out of the world, but that You keep them from the evil one.” John 17:15 TLV
Comforting words in troubling times. When we consider that the prayer was not circulated until AFTER Jesus had ascended, perhaps not until the doubts and fears regarding the future had set in for the people of The Way (aka Christians), we can imagine the impact of these words. They had the assurance from this pastoral prayer that Jesus was as concerned for their wellbeing as He was for their unity.
It is interesting to note that Jesus does not request that we are translated into heaven, and thus ‘escape’ the trying times ahead; but instead asks that we are outside of the grasp of the evil one? I confess that there are days when I would have preferred to have missed the trials completely.
Nevertheless, if we believe that Jesus’ prayer was both pastoral AND prophetic, we might recognize that a) we are included amongst those for whom He prayed and that b) despite how things may seem, we are not left completely at the evil one’s mercy.
So how do we relate to this prayer in troubled times? We hold steadfast to the assurance that despite the annoying snares set by the evil one; we BELONG to Jesus. And assured by the knowledge we place our trust IN The One Who’s already secured our present and future. We register that things may deteriorate even further before we experience Christ‘a glorious intervention; but remain confident that there is a plan with our names on it. Plans for hope and a future.
Breathe in the fullness of God’s love which expels fear.
God bless you.
In Christ’s love and grace . . .
