John 17:9-19 ~ truth

John 17:9-19

David Cochran Audio, English Standard Version

⁹ I am praying for them. I am not praying for the world but for those whom you have given me, for they are yours. ¹⁰ All mine are yours, and yours are mine, and I am glorified in them. ¹¹ And I am no longer in the world, but they are in the world, and I am coming to you. Holy Father, keep them in your name, which you have given me, that they may be one, even as we are one.

¹² While I was with them, I kept them in your name, which you have given me. I have guarded them, and not one of them has been lost except the son of destruction, that the Scripture might be fulfilled.

¹³ But now I am coming to you, and these things I speak in the world, that they may have my joy fulfilled in themselves. ¹⁴ I have given them your word, and the world has hated them because they are not of the world, just as I am not of the world. ¹⁵ I do not ask that you take them out of the world, but that you keep them from the evil one. ¹⁶ They are not of the world, just as I am not of the world. ¹⁷ Sanctify them in the truth; your word is truth. ¹⁸ As you sent me into the world, so I have sent them into the world. ¹⁹ And for their sake I consecrate myself, that they also may be sanctified in truth.

John 5:17
Jesus answered them, “My Father is working until now, and I am working.”

I am going to start out with a funny thing to say. And it is: I spend a lot of time talking and making a Friend in High Places. Because. He loves me. And Love is what draws people.

And it would be difficult to discuss this passage as Jesus would. Jesus was talking to His Father and there is a whole lot of intimacy there. Jesus Knows How to Pray. When Jesus told us about prayer, He gave us the LORD's prayer. And Jesus didn't say pray only for the people God gives you.

For as much as I talk to the LORD. I know He must Know I think about myself A Lot. But this is what I know and where I live. And for all my plans and prayers, God still Loves me.

This is my small take on prayer. I have a lot of red light/arrow prayers. I have a lot of conversational prayer with God. Because I am in conversational prayer with God, I don't spend a lot of time kneeling. Probably a lot less time than I should. I do take off my shoes now and then.

So here is my take on prayer for others. It would be very saintly of me to say I pray for other people all the time. I don't. I have people I pray for daily. I pray for people when I think of them and think they need prayer. I will pray for them even when I think of something humorous that happened. And here is a kicker - I pray a flow chart prayer system after I add more personal conversation to the Lord's Prayer. Yes, Jesus told us not to be rote. But this is my organized prayer system . As I pray for the person I usually think of them with love and pray "Jesus, please." Because - He knows better than I do. And Salvation is the most important thing. Does this happen once daily - mostly. I find it pleases me. I hope it pleases the LORD. (There are a lot of "I"s used in this blog post....) I do know that when I walk through the open pearly gates - having lived the life God gave me - I think it's possible He could say, "You talk a lot. And let's talk about others now!"


The Good News is, Jesus is still here. He does the heavy lifting. Thank God.

John 5:17
Jesus answered them, “My Father is working until now, and I am working.”

Psalm 130
Out of the depths I cry to you, O Lord!
² O Lord, hear my voice!
Let your ears be attentive
to the voice of my pleas for mercy!

³ If you, O Lord, should mark iniquities,
O Lord, who could stand?
⁴ But with you there is forgiveness,
that you may be feared.

⁵ I wait for the Lord, my soul waits,
and in his word I hope;
⁶ my soul waits for the Lord
more than watchmen for the morning,
more than watchmen for the morning.

⁷ O Israel, hope in the Lord!
For with the Lord there is steadfast love,
and with him is plentiful redemption.
⁸ And he will redeem Israel
from all his iniquities.

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