John 17 - He Prayed for Me


“I pray for those who will believe in Me…
You have loved them as You have loved Me.”
(John 17:20,23)
  
The Passover was finished, the first Communion given,
He had washed their feet, they had sung a hymn;
Jesus and His disciples left the upper room.
Before their return would come the cross and empty tomb.
Wrapping their cloaks about them as the night grew chilly,
They made their way over terrain rough and hilly.

They left Jerusalem in its noise and festivity,
Traveling to Gethsemane rather reflectively.  
Perhaps they passed a vineyard as Jesus spoke John 15.
They trudged along as He talked of hardship, yet victory, in John 16.
And then He stopped, lifted up His eyes to heaven, and prayed.
Eternity caught its breath at the beauty of such love displayed.

He prayed for me.
Glory, purity, unity:
They flow through His words more brilliantly
Than the Northern Lights could ever be.
Yet what sparkling diamond captures my awe chiefly?
He prayed for me.

The Lord of Hosts, eternity’s I Am,
My strong Shepherd giving Himself as a Lamb,
The Great High Priest, standing just outside the crowded city,
Looked through time and saw me.
I value just a glimpse or an autograph of a celebrity,
But the Son of God Himself prayed for me.

Scripture says He endured the cross so grim
For the satisfaction of the joy set before Him.
Because I have believed I am part of that joy.
He likes me. His Father likes me.
He wants me to be with Him.
These truths are more than I could dare to dream.

How will His words spoken that night change my life today?
I pray they’ll make a difference in what I do and say.
If His glory has touched my life and made me one in Him,
Should not His Presence make my worries grow dim?
Because His love is so big and changeless,
Should I not walk away from guilt as redemption’s heiress?

If the God of eternity finds joy in me,
Should I not then rejoice in He?
Oh, Savior, let not the awe of that night
Be forgotten by my faith’s feeble sight!
Let my heart kneel in worship the whole day through
As my soul finds delight in You, You, You!