Scripture to Read: John 17:9–12
Jesus prayed very specifically just for the eleven disciples in John 17:9–12. Jesus said, “I ask on their behalf; I do not ask on behalf of the world, but of those whom You have given Me; for they are Yours; 10 and all things that are Mine are Yours, and Yours are Mine; and I have been glorified in them. 11 I am no longer in the world; and yet they themselves are in the world, and I come to You. Holy Father, keep them in Your name, the name which You have given Me, that they may be one even as We are. 12 While I was with them, I was keeping them in Your name which You have given Me; and I guarded them and not one of them perished but the son of perdition, so that the Scripture would be fulfilled.” Jesus asked the Father, on behalf of the eleven disciples, that the Father protect them in His name, the same name that God the Father had given Jesus so that they would be one just as Jesus and God the Father are One. Jesus even prayed about how He had guarded and protected the eleven and that the only one He lost was Judas so that the Scripture would be fulfilled. God’s incredible love for His creation is unfathomable. He creates every human being in His image, and though He already knows who will choose Him and who will deny Him (like Judas), He creates everyone equally. He loves everyone with the same everlasting love, offering everyone His gift of eternal life through Christ.
Challenge & Application
• What do we know about God’s love and the gift He offers through Christ?
• How will you share God's gift with those you know who still need Him as their Lord and King?
Don’t forget to pray using the A.C.T.S. (Adoration, Confession, Thanksgiving, Supplication) method!