Day 147

1 Samuel 19:1-20:42, John 17:6-26, Psalms 68:7-14

That is something that I can’t quite get my head round – that the disciples “may have the full measure of [the Lord’s] joy within them”. This is the God of all time, God incarnate, the one who was there at the start, when light was spoken into being, when the forms of all life were moulded. We cannot fathom the mind of God, or the heart of God! We cannot even start to dream of what joy must be contained within the heart that has heard every new-born baby cry, heard every laugh and shared the joy of all life. Jesus wishes all this joy to be within his disciples, now that is an awesome thought.

The second awesome thought is the protection that Jesus prays for to be over his disciples. Just as David is going through some dark places with Saul, so Jesus’ disciples will hit some low points in their journeys. Jesus though prays for protection for them, and when Jesus prays, you have to be pretty confident in the results. This is the second time in a couple of days when we come back to that image of having the whole host of heaven behind us, backing us up. If Jesus is praying for our protection then a whole army of angels are there for us. Two pretty awesome thoughts in one short prayer.

The final thought is of the disciples (and all of those who will follow) being one. This is not necessarily the sense of us being one church all worshipping the same way, but it does give us the call to join with all Christians, to share with them in the love that Christ has for us all. Not just being one with each other but being one with Christ, the chord that keeps his people together.

Christ offers us a good model in his prayer, but he also offers us a call to embrace all he offers and a call to embrace the people he places around us.