John 17:20-26 says, “20Neither pray I for these alone, but for them also which shall believe on me through their word; 21That they all may be one; as thou, Father, art in me, and I in thee, that they also may be one in us: that the world may believe that thou hast sent me. 22And the glory which thou gavest me I have given them; that they may be one, even as we are one: 23I in them, and thou in me, that they may be made perfect in one; and that the world may know that thou hast sent me, and hast loved them, as thou hast loved me. 24Father, I will that they also, whom thou hast given me, be with me where I am; that they may behold my glory, which thou hast given me: for thou lovedst me before the foundation of the world. 25O righteous Father, the world hath not known thee: but I have known thee, and these have known that thou hast sent me. 26And I have declared unto them thy name, and will declare it: that the love wherewith thou hast loved me may be in them, and I in them.”

Secondly, Jesus prays that we would eventually get to the place where He is, which is, of course, heaven. He was praying that we would have the strength to endure to the end because it is in heaven where God’s glory is the thickest! We can start a race, but what matters most is if we finish it. Matthew 24:13 says, “But he that shall endure unto the end, the same shall be saved.” Just as with Peter when Jesus prayed that his faith would not fail once he denied Him three times, He prays for us that we will endure through faith. After Jesus resurrected, He ascended to the right hand of the Father, where He still intercedes on our behalf (Romans 8:3). His work has still not stopped! He is still praying for us. Therefore, if the Savior of the world is praying for us, then we should continue in faith and obedience to God’s Word, knowing that He is on our side!

Finally, Jesus prayed that we as future believers would have the same love of God dwelling within us as it did Him! For Jesus to pray that the Creator of the universe loves us just as much as He loves Him is something to think about. Honestly, it is extremely difficult to comprehend. But He does! He wants us to grasp the true revelation of the love of God, a love that is unconditional and is faithful through whatever life throws at us. It will change us and is even willing to go through hell in order to set us free. This is a love that the world cannot offer. In fact, the world will even sometimes identify love with abuse and taking advantage of others, which is truly lust and demonized control. What we need to flow in the body of Christ now more than ever is love. Sometimes, it may be a tough love because it disciplines, but it is always for our better to enable us to become a better reflection of who God truly is!

We should apply these very same principles to our prayer life today. We should pray for the unity of the believers, and that does not mean the unity of “world religions”. Some things do not mix, and Christianity with Islam, Mormonism, or any other idolatrous religious do not. We need unity within the church itself, looking unto Jesus, who is the author and finisher of our faith (Hebrews 12:2). Then, we need to pray for endurance in the church. We should not grow weary in well doing, but we should pace ourself in this marathon. It is a long race, and just doing a bunch of ministry works will not cut it. We must pray without ceasing (1 Thessalonians 5:17)! Finally, we must pray for the ability to grasp the true revelation of God’s love, which is the unconditional love of a Father. He is a King, but He is also a Father, and whatever we ask Him through Christ’s name in faith, He will give it to us (John 16:23). Therefore, we should pray in confidence, knowing that God will hear and answer our prayers!