Reading: “But I give myself to prayer” Psalm 109:4

The Psalms give us some insight into the prayer-life of our Savior. The Father promised Him, “Ask of Me, and I will give you the nations for Your inheritance…” (Psalm 2:8)—and He gave Himself to prayer on the bases of that promise. John 17 is a remarkable insight into our Lord’s prayer-life. This prayer is divided into three main parts—His own work (1-4), the disciples who served Him at that time (5-19), and for those “who would

[later] believe …” (20ff).

There are two imperatives that form the theme of the prayer—“Keep” (11) and “sanctify” (17 see also Vs. 24). Through all the varied providences of life—the hills and valleys, the twists and turns, the rough and smooth—this prayer is answered. All these variations in the events of my life are in fact part of God’s design, and reveal His sufficient grace in the details.

It is a witness to the power of God (1 peter 1:5) that I am kept through all of this. It is of course a sure thing because Christ has given himself to prayer on my behalf. I will be “save[d] to the uttermost”—He will not abandon me midway—because He ever lives to make intercession for me (Hebrews 7:27).