If Jesus was convinced that his own life and ministry depended upon His prayer life with the Father, we as well must set our hearts to maintain uninterrupted time in prayer with our Lord, for this is the key not only to our ministry but to our very life as God intends it.
henry blackaby, experiencing Prayer with jesus, p. 19.
Daily Devotionals: As we step into this next season in the life of our church, we are asking the Lord to help us “Make Room in our Hearts” – for the people Jesus loves, and the people Jesus brings. During these 21 Days, our whole church will be reflecting and meditating on these same thoughts and prayers together, with one mind, guided by and depending on one Spirit.
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Engage the Word: Making Room in Our Hearts
Today, we go back again to Jesus’ “High Priestly Prayer” in John 17 from the Upper Room, as He prepared to go to the cross, where Jesus prays for His disciples, for us and for the world. Jesus prays to His Father…
READ John 17:20-26
20 “I do not ask for these only, but also for those who will believe in me through their word, 21 that they may all be one, just as you, Father, are in me, and I in you, that they also may be in us, so that the world may believe that you have sent me. 22 The glory that you have given me I have given to them, that they may be one even as we are one, 23 I in them and you in me, that they may become perfectly one, so that the world may know that you sent me and loved them even as you loved me. 24 Father, I desire that they also, whom you have given me, may be with me where I am, to see my glory that you have given me because you loved me before the foundation of the world. 25 O righteous Father, even though the world does not know you, I know you, and these know that you have sent me. 26 I made known to them your name, and I will continue to make it known, that the love with which you have loved me may be in them, and I in them.”
Connect the Heart
This is one of those passages that reminds us – when something is repeated, we should pay attention. In verses 21-23, Jesus prays the same thing multiple times: that His Church and it’s people would be unified. That’s you and me. But what does He mean? With so many divisions and denominations in His Church, is unity even possible? We need to understand that Jesus is not talking about ecumenical unity – but rather, spiritual unity. One of my favorite pastors and commentators, R. Kent Hughes, says this:
“That unity, though, does not mean uniformity in everything. In the Trinity there exists a unity in diversity—three distinct Persons, yet they are one. Suppose, for a moment, that we could bring some of the great Christians of the centuries together under one roof. From the fourth century would come the great intellect Augustine of Hippo. From the tenth century, Bernard of Clairvaux. From the sixteenth, the peerless reformer John Calvin. From the seventeenth century would come John Wesley, the great Methodist advocate of free will, and along with him George Whitefield, the evangelist. From the nineteenth century, the Baptist C. H. Spurgeon and D. L. Moody. And, finally, from the twentieth century, Billy Graham.
If we gathered all these men under one steeple, we would have trouble! We would be unable to get a unanimous vote on many things. But underneath it all would be unity. And the more the men lifted up Christ and the more they focused on Him, the greater their unity would be. There would be unity amidst a great diversity of style and opinion.”
It is hard enough sometimes to find agreement and unity among believers in our own church, let alone among believers across denominations and cultures! And we haven’t even mentioned the everyday conflicts that arise. And yet, it still should be our prayer that our heart would beat with God’s heart in seeking unity and oneness in the church – through our mutual faith and trust in Him. Can this be our prayer today?
Reflect on the Truth
- Jesus’ prayer is that we would not focus on what divides us – but be unified by our faith and trust in Him. Oneness – just as He and the Father are One. Is your heart – your words, your actions, your desires, your motivations – leaning into this unity that Jesus not only prayed for, but modeled for us? How might Jesus’ example of a life of unity and oneness be an invitation for you to pursue the same with those around you?
- Is there an area of division or disagreement with someone in the church where you might sense God prompting you to pursue harmony, unity and oneness? Is there someone with whom you are experiencing disunity that you might simply stop and pray for in this moment?
Depend on the Spirit
Ask the Holy Spirit to help you see the deeper longings, desires or motives in your heart that these thoughts are pointing to. (For example: you may write down, “Father, I love the idea of unity and oneness, but there are some difficult people I’m thinking of right now that seem to make that impossible. Will you help me?”) The Lord can help us discern the path forward – through His word, His Spirit, His people.
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For Prayer
As you conclude your devotional time, pray that – at a time in our culture where so much divides us – The Ascent Church would be known for its unity and oneness. Pray that division and disagreement would be replaced by harmony, love, kindness and unity.
Fasting
Please read the first blog post entitled “Why Fast?” This explains what fasting is and why we follow Jesus in this spiritual discipline as together we seek the heart of God.
Previous Posts
To read yesterday’s blog post devotional, please click here.
To read any of our previous posts for 21 Days of Prayer and Fasting, including the Introduction, please click here.
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Some parts of our 21 Days devotionals are adapted using various resources on scripture and prayer like The Bible Exposition Commentary, Tyndale Old Testament Commentaries, The New Bible Commentary, Logos Bible Software and other resources.
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