Normally, when we think of praying, we think we are the only ones who pray to God. But Hebrews tell us that Jesus, having been raised from the dead, “always lives to make intercession” for you and me (Hebrews 7:25; see also Romans 8:34). John 17 gives us a pretty good indication of what Jesus’ intercessory prayers for us sound like.

1. Jesus keeps you in the Father’s name so that you experience unity (v. 11). Jesus does not let your faith go to waste. “In the Father’s name” refers to God’s character (see Ex. 34:6). 
   
   
2. Jesus guards you so that you will not be lost (v. 12). During seasons of doubt or disillusionment, Jesus will never abandon you. Consider Peter’s denial of Jesus and subsequent restoration.
   
   
3. Jesus went to the Father so that his joy would be fulfilled in you (v. 13). Jesus went to the Father so the Holy Spirit can give us joy, particularly to endure difficult times. Joy is the one thing you cannot fake. 
   
   
4. Jesus gives you his Word so that you can resist the evil one (v. 14-15). Jesus is the Word incarnate (John 1:1-5, 14). We don’t need more “things” to be satisfied or escape. We need an ever-growing relationship with Jesus, nourished by the Scriptures. The devil is always seeking to divide and cause believers to compete against one another.
   
   
5. Jesus sends you into the world to proclaim his Word (v. 14-16). Just as Jesus was not of this world, yet was sent into it to proclaim the Good News, Christians are also called to be set apart from the world’s ways (not to escape it), to proclaim the Good News to the lost.
   
   
6. Jesus sanctified himself, so that you would be sanctified (v. 17). God will always prepare you for what he calls you to be set apart to do.
   
   
7. Jesus believes your testimony powerfully contributes to the unity within the body of Christ, so that the world would believe he is God’s Son (v. 21). This is not a unity of believing preciselythe same thing, or practicing precisely the same worship (that’s uniformity!). The unity that Jesus speaks of here is that of personal relationship, mirrored by his relationship to God the Father. Why is this unity so remarkable to the world? The world takes advantage of people’s imperfections to exploit and profit; the Church embraces people with all of their imperfections and loves them well, even at the cost to self. That’s a unity that the world cannot ignore.

Taking it Home: Which of these statements comforts you and why? Which one challenges you to ask for help or take a step of faith?