Monday,
December 30, 2019
JESUS’ PRAYER FOR THE NEW YEAR!
John
17:9
9 I pray for them: I
pray not for the world, but for them which thou hast given me; for
they are thine.
15 I pray not that thou shouldest
take them out of the world, but that thou shouldest keep them from the evil.
16 They are not of the world,
even as I am not of the world.
17 Sanctify them
through thy truth: thy word is truth.
25 O righteous Father, the
world hath not known thee: but I have known thee, and these have
known that thou hast sent me.
This morning
finds me in an emotional storm.
I am surrounded by rich blessings quite undeserved and at the same time there
is a deep longing for something that is unfulfilled. There is a childlike
sadness as if I were the victim of a bully. There is anger and indignation for
the injustices I can’t resolve. These are just a few of the snowflakes I have
been able to catch on my tongue but there is a blizzard of unsorted emotions
waiting to be shoveled off my path.
Jesus never
expected the world to be an agreeable place
for believers. We are not of this world. Literally the Greek in verse 16 is ek
tou kosmou ouk which reads “of the world, not!” It means that
believers have another point of origin and another ultimate destination. Our
birth into this world was physical but our new birth makes us citizens of
heaven and aliens here.
Our hope for
the New Year is that we might have some rest
from moral decline, but Jesus does not expect any great moral resurgence. Jesus
did not pray for the destruction of “the evil” but that we might be kept from
it. The word poneros means “that which is hurtful” and the definite article
“the” makes it personal. Jesus prayed that believers would be protected
from the one who causes hurt. We should not be surprised when there
is hurt all around us.
2
Tim 3:13
13 But evil men and seducers shall
wax worse and worse, deceiving, and being deceived.
Jesus prayed
for our “sanctification” which in
the Greek hagiazo means “to make holy.” This is done through the Word of
truth. The more a believer associates with the Bible the less he will be
welcomed in the world. We can expect the world to be a hostile place and
increasingly so if we draw closer to the Lord. However, we will not be made
safer by abandoning God and embracing the world. The world will not return our
embrace but knows, better than we, that we are aliens. The word
“keep” in verse 15 indicates a garrison of soldiers posted to keep watch. That
is comforting!
If you are
waiting at the gate for the departure of
your plane, you will watch and listen for announcements and signals that you
need to board. I have consistently watched men and women clog the entry with
documents in hand. I have never seen them wait their turn, but they stand in
anxious anticipation until their row is called. We too need to be ready to
board.
Heb
10:23-25
23 Let us hold fast the profession
of our faith without wavering; (for he is faithful that promised;)
24 And let us consider one another
to provoke unto love and to good works:
25 Not forsaking the assembling of
ourselves together, as the manner of some is; but exhorting one another: and so
much the more, as ye see the day approaching.
Dear Lord, I can sense a stirring at
the gate of departure. As your coming draws nearer let me draw closer to you.
AMEN
