The Prayer of Jesus

Make them holy by Your truth; teach them Your word, which is truth. Just as You sent Me into the world, I am sending them into the world. And I give Myself as a holy sacrifice for them so they can be made holy by Your truth.

I am praying not only for these disciples but also for all who will ever believe in Me through their message. I pray that they will all be one, just as You and I are one—as You are in Me, Father, and I am in You. And may they be in Us so that the world will believe You sent Me.

John 17:17-21

There are still small wrinkles on the page in my Bible that holds these verses – John 17:17-21. It was my first time on an airplane. I was terrified. I had heard that turbulence could be a bit like a roller coaster. The last time I had ridden a roller coaster, I was seven years old. My sister was four, and she wasn’t allowed to ride the kiddie dragon roller coaster at the county fair without an older child riding with her. She was so excited to ride it, and my parents made me go with her. I screamed and cried the entire time. I vowed never to ride another roller coaster as long as I lived.

So there I was, at age 17. As I waited for the airplane to take off, all I could think of was how much I hate high speed and the feeling of my stomach dropping. Sweat oozed from my body as I clutched on to my Bible and tried to remember why I was there.

Just as You sent Me into the world, I am sending them into the world.

Those words comforted me. I am not a girl who enjoys taking risks or traveling far from my comfort zone. As the plane started to move, the sweat came faster, and a small vein in my hand pulsed visibly, displaying my anxiety. Still, the words of my Savior comforted me.

I am praying not only for these disciples but also for all who will ever believe in Me through their message.

Just as You sent Me into the world, I am sending them into the world.

Knowing that Jesus prayed for me those hundreds of years ago gave me courage to face my fears. That first airplane ride was taking me on a short-term missions trip where I learned for the first time how to share my faith with unbelievers. I grew up in a church that was great at encouraging you to bring your unsaved friends to church to get them saved. It wasn’t as quick to teach you how to lead people to Christ yourself. Going on that missions trip gave me the resources and some amazing opportunities to tell people about Jesus and explain to them why I believe that He is Messiah.

Have you ever felt afraid to share your faith? If you’re shy, like me, even talking to someone new can create those same types of anxious feelings that I had on my first airplane ride. Take a few minutes today to dwell on Jesus’ prayer in John 17. Remember that His power is working in you to share His love with people around you.

Stir it Up

Praise the LORD, O my soul; all my inmost being, praise His holy name.

Praise the LORD, O my soul, and forget not all His benefits-

who forgives all your sins and heals all your diseases,

who redeems your life from the pit and crowns you with love and compassion,

who satisfies your desires with good things so that your youth is renewed like the eagle’s.

Psalm 103:1-5

This week, we’re talking about joy. Sometimes joy is difficult for me. In high school, I named my pet hamster “Joy” because I felt that God wanted me to develop more joy in my life.

Well, that hamster was pretty much the most senseless animal I’ve ever met. She had no sense of direction and walked aimlessly off of tables when you took her out of her cage. I lost interest in her pretty quickly. I continued to feed her and clean out her cage out of a sense of duty. But I wasn’t all that upset when her time came.

Perhaps it’s silly to compare “joy” to my pet hamster, but I do sometimes feel that way about joy in my life. I maintain it out of a sense of duty. When someone else is around, I put on my happy face and pretend to be companionable. Meanwhile, inside, if I’m really honest, I don’t feel much joy. I’m just going through the motions, and when my joy dies altogether, I’m not that sorry to see it go.

Sometimes I think I enjoy feeling depressed more than I enjoy being joyful. Maybe it’s the culture we’re living in – one that glorifies drama and conflict, but writes off peace and happiness as unattainable or simply boring. Maybe I let the world’s cynicism get to me.

Can you relate with that at all? Do you find yourself feeling content to be sad, angry, or depressed? Do you find yourself annoyed or turned off by “joyful” people?

I’m not saying that it’s a terrible sin to be unhappy, but I do think that when we slow down and think upon what kind of a God we serve, we should be discontented with long-term sadness. Even thinking upon sin shouldn’t leave us in a state of depression for long. At the end of every sad story in our lives, there is Good News.

And that is worth being excited about. So join with me today in stirring up some joy. Let’s remember His benefits and rejoice in all that He has done, is doing, and will do in our lives.