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The Eleven Most Important Words of Prayer

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November 5, 2020

John 17:6-10

6 “I have revealed you to those whom you gave me out of the world. They were yours; you gave them to me and they have obeyed your word. 7 Now they know that everything you have given me comes from you. 8 For I gave them the words you gave me and they accepted them. They knew with certainty that I came from you, and they believed that you sent me. 9 I pray for them. I am not praying for the world, but for those you have given me, for they are yours. 10 All I have is yours, and all you have is mine. And glory has come to me through them. 

CONSIDER THIS

Let’s remember John 17 is a prayer. It is easy to sidestep this fact in pursuit of learning other dimensions of what Jesus said here. Jesus was a person of prayer. He did not have a “prayer life,” rather, he lived before us a “life of prayer.” This is the transition we must make—from a “prayer life” that fits neatly into our compartmentalized days, to a “life of prayer” that flows in unceasing ways, captivating our consciousness and ever charging our imaginations with the power and possibilities of God in this world. It is to this end that we must immerse ourselves in the life of Jesus. We are his apprentices and there is so much to learn.

As I count them, we have nine distinct recorded prayers from Jesus in the Gospels. By my count, this one from John 17, commonly referred to as “Jesus’ High Priestly Prayer” is #6 of 9. The final three are his prayers from the cross. I call this one, “The Lord’s Prayer.” And for obvious reasons, the one we commonly call, “The Lord’s Prayer,” I call, “The Disciples’ Prayer.” 

My big takeaway about prayer from John 17 this time around comes from these words embedded in v.10 of today’s text. Brace for impact . . .

“All I have is yours, and all you have is mine.”

Oh my goodness! Did you hear that?

“All I have is yours, and all you have is mine.”

Is not all of the essence and ethos of prayer itself captured in eleven words? In fact, can we henceforth refer to this text in a kind of shorthand symbol for our lives of prayer—indeed for our lives, period? Let us call it ELEVEN.

“All I have is yours, and all you have is mine.”

But, you say, this is Jesus talking to his Father; this is their relationship not ours. To that I say, no, Jesus is talking to “our” Father, and he wants for us to have the same relationship with the Father as he does. In fact, he brings us on the inside of his relationship with the Father. Re-read John 15 and you will see the logic clearly.

“All I have is yours, and all you have is mine.”

These eleven words must find their way into the depths of our praying heart and mind. What if I brought these words to the fore of every prayer? What if these words became my simple every day, walking around breathing prayer? 

“All I have is yours, and all you have is mine.”

Oh my goodness. Are you grasping the comprehensive vastness of this? This is like a wedding vow, only spoken to the God of heaven and earth. 

“All I have is yours, and all you have is mine.”

Aren’t these words crying out for a melody? Chris Tomlin—if you are listening (and I know you listen to the Daily Text from time to time), I want you to write a song around these words. It’s called ELEVEN. 

THE PRAYER

Abba Father, we thank you for your son, Jesus. We say with him, “All I have is yours, and all you have is mine.” Come Holy Spirit and emblazon these words on our hearts until they are our heart’s cry. Help me to grasp this and to understand what in me fights against deeply believing it. We pray in Jesus name, Amen.

THE QUESTIONS

  1. All I have is yours. Is this really something you can say to God without reservation?
  2. All you have is mine. Do you really believe this? 
  3. Are you ready to weave these words, this prayer, into your life of Prayer?

For the Awakening,
J.D. Walt
Sower-in-Chief
seedbed.com

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WHAT IS THIS? Wake-Up Call is a daily encouragement to shake off the slumber of our busy lives and turn our eyes toward Jesus. Each morning our community gathers around a Scripture, a reflection, a prayer, and a few short questions, inviting us to reorient our lives around the love of Jesus that transforms our hearts, homes, churches, and cities.

Comments and Discussion

2 Responses

  1. Are not the words: all I have is yours, the main thought behind “Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—-this is your true and proper worship.”? If we truly believe that our very life is made possible only by abiding in Christ, then yes I do believe we have access to all that the Father possesses to enable us to bring glory to his name.I’m not only ready to live out this reality, I believe this will be the only way any of us true believers, will prevail in this coming season of darkness.

  2. All I have is yours all that I am, my righteousness, my peace, my wisdom is yours and you are mine. And all that you are is cleansed and loved by me.. Your shame, your sin and all your unrightousness. What an exchange!

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