Two years ago while traveling in Israel, I had the opportunity to visit the Garden of Gethsemane, where Jesus knelt before the Father in prayer (John 17)hours before He was tried and crucified. As I quietly stood in the garden, I tried to imagine the scene. The disciples had fallen asleep (Mark 14:37) Jesus, alone with the Father, began to ask that the Father might glorify Himself through Jesus. He prayed for His disciples that they would be protected from the evil one and that they would be unified after His death. And then, Jesus prayed for all who would believe in Him in the years to come. (John 17:20-21) As I read Jesus’ prayer this morning, I was struck again at the wonder that Jesus prayed for you and me hours before He was betrayed, tried and crucified! Isn’t that startling? He prayed that we might be unified so that those looking on would see the reflection of God in us. As I have been meditating on this a couple of thoughts have come to mind:

First, Jesus is on our side. He was praying for us then and now cheers us on from heaven. What an amazing thought! Let that sink in. Jesus is FOR YOU! He prayed for you then, and He prays for you now!I don’t know about you but I’m going to rejoice in that truth all day long!

Second, Jesus prayed that we (believers in Jesus Christ) might be unified. Think about Christians today. Think about how we are perceived by the world. Do you think we are perceived of as unified or as fighting with one another? My prayer is that we might be seen as a unified body, loving like Jesus loved, and seeking to glorify the Father like Jesus did. As I continue meditating on Jesus’ prayer through out the rest of the day, My prayer is going to be that the Holy Spirit would unify my spirit with the spirit of Jesus Christ and that I would do all I can to bring unity and not division to the body of Christ. Wanna join me?