Read John 17:6-8. Circle the word(s) that stand out to you. What is the Lord saying to you?
6 “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. 7 Now they know that everything you have given me comes from you. 8 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.
Reflections on the Word.
In John 17, we have a glimpse of the prayer life of Jesus. He’s speaking to the Heavenly Father. He reveals what is upon his heart and mind. He says this, “6 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. 7 Now they know that everything you have given me comes from you. 8 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” (NIV).
The phrase that stands out to me is this, “I have revealed you to those…”. Jesus was mindful of saying the words of the Heavenly Father. I wonder to myself, “How much are the words that I say are the words of the Heavenly Father?”
Are my family and friends drawn closer to the Heavenly Father because of my words or are they repelled by it? When my children and grandchildren hear my prayer over meals or when my wife listens to my prayers at the end of the day, can they honestly say, “Amen” meaning, “so be it” to those prayers?
I’m guilty of saying prayers more out of duty or habit than from my heart and mind. At times, I’m in a hurry or I’m just too tired. Regrettably, it’s more about “getting it over with” than really praying to the Heavenly Father. Do you experience this too?
Jesus says that His words are to reveal the Father and to do the will of the Father. Let’s try by the grace of God reveal more of Him than ourselves in our conversations. I trust that one day our family and friends will say among themselves that they miss our conversations with them as it was seasoned with grace, found encouraging and pointed them to the love of Christ.
-Kingston