Jesus is taking prayer requests. He’d like to pray for you. May he?
For John, this was one of the most poignant images of Jesus. With “the hour” of the cross at hand (Jn. 17:1), Jesus lifts his eyes to heaven and prays. And it’s a prayer for you and me.
Jesus is intercessor. Not the way a defense lawyer intercedes for us in front of a grumpy judge. But the way a loving brother intercedes in front of a doting father. Jesus is taking prayer requests. May he have yours?
Before he lifts his eyes to heaven, let’s have a conversation with him (in the Ignatian Spiritual Exercises, this is called a colloquy). Imagine that Jesus says to you, “I’d like to pray for you. What would you like me to pray for?” How would you respond? How would you finish this sentence? “Jesus, I’d you to pray for/about ____.”
I’d mention things at the top of my head: an important meeting tonight, our church’s VBS, a friend trying to discern a job offer, a ministry I know which is struggling financially, my brother who just started a new job in Albuquerque, etc.
Imagine that Jesus says, “OK, I’ve got that list down. Is there anything else? Those things were all at the top of your head weren’t they? Can you go deeper? What’s really on your heart today?” How would you respond? Deep down, what matters most in your life? Not just today. But for all days. What would you say?
I’d ask for prayers for an ongoing connection with Jesus like the one I’ve experienced during these days of silence, for greater clarity about my ministry of writing, for my children to find and fulfill their purpose in the kingdom, for God to lead 100 people this year to Christ through Highland, for there to be no more orphans or homeless people in Memphis and for Highland to have a hand in this, for everyone in my family to come to Christ, for the power to finally escape old patterns of sin, to live with unreserved joy and generosity, etc.
Imagine that Jesus says, “Wonderful! That’s wonderful! I’d be happy to pray about those things.”
Imagine that Jesus lifts his eyes to heaven and prays. He mentions everything you listed from the top of your head. He mentions everything you listed from the bottom of your heart.
But then he continues. Because he’s got his own sense of what you really need:
- “Holy Father, keep Chris (insert your name here) in your name” (v. 11).
- “Holy Father, keep Chris from the evil one” (v. 15).
- “Holy Father, sanctify Chris” (v. 17)
- “Holy Father, may Chris and all who follow me be one so that the world may believe that you have sent me” (v. 21)
- “Holy Father, may Chris be with me where I am to see my glory” (v. 24)
Here’s another way of imagining these prayer requests:
- Keep Chris (insert your name here) close to you.
- Keep Chris far from Satan.
- Set Chris apart for his work in the world.
- Let Chris experience the kind of barrier-breaking community that could only come from you.
- Let Chris join me eventually by your side.
Of these five, which do you think Jesus would emphasize? Since he knows you best, which of these five would he spend the most time praying about? Today, are you most in need of experiencing greater closeness with the Father? Of being delivered from some Satanic attack? Of better understanding what your divine purpose is in the world and of focusing more on it? Of overcoming some barrier that’s keeping you from an important relationship? Of keeping the end in mind, the day when you will join Jesus at the Father’s side?
My heart leans towards the third one. How about you?
It turns out that Jesus is not only taking prayer requests. He’s giving them. In this, his longest recorded prayer, he’s giving us the kinds of things we need to learn to pray for ourselves and to pray for one another.
Jesus is giving prayer requests. May he give you one?
