Mirror Image
Opening Prayer
Father, I am amazed at Your abundant mercy and Your lavish care. You are great and I praise Your name.
Read John 17:1-5
[1] After Jesus said this, he looked toward heaven and prayed: “Father, the hour has come. Glorify your Son, that your Son may glorify you. [2] For you granted him authority over all people that he might give eternal life to all those you have given him. [3] Now this is eternal life: that they know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent. [4] I have brought you glory on earth by finishing the work you gave me to do. [5] And now, Father, glorify me in your presence with the glory I had with you before the world began. Scripture taken from the THE HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION, NIV Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
Reflect
What seems to be the purpose of Jesus' prayer to his Father?I remember a television program about ordinary families honoring one another for courage and expressions of care. As children recounted their tales, I was struck by their eyes, radiant with love for their parents. Through them, as if looking through a mirror, I could see all the loving qualities of their parents. The longest recorded prayer of Jesus bears a resemblance to that uplifting experience and is offered just before his betrayal and arrest. This is a pivotal moment for Jesus; therefore, the words of this prayer have huge significance. Aware of his imminent crucifixion, Jesus asks to be glorified, not for his own magnificence to be noticed, but rather for the magnificence of his Father to be celebrated (1). The primary focus of Jesus is that others would recognize his Father as the one true God (3). The intimacy of relationship between them is seen when Jesus requests to be reunited with his Father, just like old times (5). The significance of his anticipated homecoming is of epoch-bursting proportions–the completion of his mission on earth and the beginning of the age to come!
Apply
When people look at you, what do you hope they see about you that resembles Jesus?
Closing prayer
Mighty God, enable me to see You at work in the world. Let me find light in the darkness around me.
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