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John

John 
Day 
Day 270

John 17 : 1 - 26 "MEDITATION AT THE CONCLUSION OF PRAYER"

Day 270 – John 17

MEDITATION AT THE CONCLUSION OF PRAYER

How did Jesus actually conclude His prayer? Of course, words had to be employed, but what do they represent? Let us take time to read carefully what Jesus said in prayer.

“O righteous Father! The world has not known You,
but I have known You; and these have known that
You sent Me. And I have declared to them Your Name,
and will declare it, that the love with which You loved Me
may be in them, and I in them.”
John 17:25-26

Jesus had prayed with great depth and understanding. He concluded His prayer by dwelling on, or meditating upon His Father!

APPROPRIATE THEMES FOR MEDITATION

1. “O Righteous Father…” John 17:25

What a theme to dwell upon. Jesus had breathed the word “Father” tenderly on a number of occasions in this prayer.

a) “Father…” John 17:1, 21, 24
b) “O Father…” John 17:5
c) “Holy Father…” John 17:11
d) “Righteous Father…” John 17:25
To Jesus, there could not be a more precious and tender word than “Father”. What a beautiful thought to meditate upon in prayer! Jesus had known His Father as no one else had understood Him! How wonderful it was to be able to just whisper, “O righteous Father…” at the conclusion of prayer.

2. “I have declared to them Your Name…”

Another glorious theme to meditate upon! Each message Jesus preached was spoken in full authority, backed up by the Name of God. He had come to earth to minister in His Father’s Name. He had proclaimed His Father’s Name at all times. He would always declare His Father’s Name! Was there anyone whose Name was greater and more precious? Jesus knew of none! What a profound way of concluding prayer!

3. “That the love with which You loved Me may be in them, and I in them”

Once again, Jesus touched on the subject of love. What a beautiful way of concluding prayer! He dwelt on His Father’s love for Him. How wonderful it would be if His Disciples would be filled with the same understanding and appreciation of love. What a glorious way of concluding prayer. Meditation on the attributes of God is surely a perfect way of concluding prayer!

AN ASSESSMENT OF OUR PRAYER LIFE

As we take time to study John 17, we must surely be struck by the prayer-life that Jesus must have maintained to pray as He did. Depth of prayer is impossible, unless a person has maintained a prayer-life.

Do we have a prayer-life to speak of? Do we set aside time to pray as Jesus did? Each morning, He would make sure that He would set aside time to pray. Each night, He would once again seek His Father in prayer. Throughout the day, He would breathe spontaneous prayers to His Father. Jesus maintained a very vibrant prayer life! If we desire to pray better, we would be well advised to develop a more consistent prayer-life.

AN ASSESSMENT OF HOW WE PRAY

How do we actually pray? What words do we use in prayer? As we study the words Jesus uttered in prayer, we cannot but be deeply impacted by the fact that Jesus chose His words most carefully. There wasn’t a single superfluous word. There wasn’t a thought out of place.

His words uttered in prayer reflected a number of things. Let us highlight just seven things.

1. A deep and intimate relationship with the Father.

2. A powerful relationship of faith in the Father.

3. A vital sense of trust in His Father’s Will and wisdom.

4. A profound sense of humble submission to the Father in all matters.

5. An acute understanding of the actual items that must be prayed for.

6. Reflection and meditation on the Father may be observed not only in the conclusion of prayer, but throughout the prayer.

7. Depth of thought is easily observable in the prayer that Jesus uttered! (Jesus never prayed using a mechanical formula!)

Let us learn how to pray better? Let this word of advice from the Psalmist David challenge us to offer more meaningful prayers.

“Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart
be acceptable in Your sight, O Lord, my strength
and My Redeemer.”
Psalm 19:14 (Psalm 104: 34)

Let us not be careless in our prayer efforts. Let us seek to meditate on what we should say to the Lord. Our meditation should affect the very words we use in prayer. Let us seek to deepen our prayer life and the prayers we offer humbly to our Father each day.