John 17.21-21 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.” (ESV)
Life is hard: there are bills to pay, kids to raise, jobs
to keep, food to be sought, water to be drank, sickness to be healed, schedules
to be kept – and on and on and on it goes. Life is hardness punctuated with
seasons, days, and moments of joy and glorious light. Then the joy fades and
the light dims and the routines carry on – one footstep after another.
But here’s the deal: “I
do not ask for these only, but also for those who will believe in me through
their word, 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.” A prayer for the ages. A prayer of hope and change (sorry there’s
only One Source for that, and it isn’t
American politics); a prayer that doesn’t in any way ever fall of deaf ears or
show up on the desk of an incompetent bureaucrat.
Life is hard
but it isn’t without meaning if one knows Who prayed the prayer and why the
prayer was prayed.
The point of all life is this: “…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.” The point of all life is the union and communion of mankind and God.
There is no other point to life, and there is no greater calling for men, and
there is no other prayer. Jesus prayed it all when He asked God, “…that they may all be one…” one in
spirit, one in mind, one in purpose throughout all the earth. And, “…that they may be in Us…” in the Father,
in the Son, and indwelt by the Holy Spirit.
I know I don’t know what all of that means but I do know
this: I want it. I don’t want the
leftovers of mankind and its value systems because when it is all over that’s
all there is. But with God, there is infinitely more of everything good forever.
I want that. I hope in that. And it
changes me. And nothing and no one else can deliver except the One who prayed: “I do not ask for these only, but also for
those who will believe in me through their word, 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.
The point of life is spelled out in the prayer for all the ages: 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… So that God’s perfect plan and design
will be fulfilled, and His eternal purposes will endure forever and ever. Yeah,
I want that.
Father, You are the End of all things for all things find
their meaning and purpose in You. Find in me a willing heart to partner in Your
eternal doings so that the world may believe (willingly or otherwise) that
Jesus Christ was/is Your Gift to us to show us and give us the perfection we so
desperately desire… Amen.
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