Merry Christmas from the Bennett’s. They are our life-long friends from Northern CA.

So That 

John 17 

Jesus spoke these things; and lifting up His eyes to heaven, He said, ‘Father, the hour has come; glorify Your Son that the Son may glorify You. John 17:1 

Holy Father, keep them in Your name, the name which You have given Me, that they may be one even as We are. While I was with them, I was keeping them in Your name which You have given Me; and I guarded them and not one of them perished but the son of perdition, so that Scripture would be fulfilled. But now I come to You; and these things I speak in the world so that they may have My joy made full in themselves. John 17:11-13 

That they may be one; even as You, Father, are in Me and I in You, that they also may be in Us, so that the world may believe that You sent me. John 17:21 

(Please note that Jesus used the words “that” and “so that” in His prayer. I’ll refer to it later in this post). 

This chapter, more than anywhere else in scripture, reveals the heart of Jesus in prayer. The “Lord’s Prayer” as we know it, is Jesus teaching His disciples a pattern for prayer. This is a real prayer of Jesus, and it is at the most vulnerable time in His earthly life. Extremely rich! 

The prayer could be divided into three parts: 

• Jesus prays for Himself (v1-5)  
• Jesus prays for His disciples (v6-19)  
• Jesus prays for future believers (v20-26).   

Here’s a few observations: Jesus prays for things in the future as if they are in the present…or as if they have already happened (v6-12). Or another way to say it is He makes affirmative statements in the Present tense about things that haven’t yet happened.  

• Maybe He does it because He is God and He knows what is going to happen.  
• Or maybe He is teaching us to pray “in His name” with such faith that we pray with confidence and assurance that He will do it.  

Remember, in the previous chapters, multiple times Jesus said pray in my name and I will do it (14:13,14; 15:7,16; 16:23). Perhaps now Jesus is modeling His prayers for future events as stating them in the confident present tense? What can we learn from this? 

Jesus, I sense that you are trying to teach me something about prayer recently from these chapters in John. Lead me to prayer in your name with confidence. If you abide in me and my words abide in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done, 15:7. Lead me to be so inter-connected to such a degree that my thoughts and prayers flow from confidence that they are aligned with your will. 

Folks, here’s a very practical model of application of praying in the name of Jesus. It is an extra step in prayer and intercession that you probably have never done but will enrich your prayer life significantly. It arises from what Jesus is teaching us about prayer here in John 17. When Jesus makes a request to the Father, he adds a phrase that begins with “that” or “so that”. In other words, as an example, He says, “Father, I ask for __________, so that ____________. 

Before I clarify it further, please know that this isn’t an automatic formula that forces God to answer. There are no magic formulas. There is no process that forces God to do what we ask Him. My suggestion to you in this model is a spiritual exercise that helps us search for God’s will and results in greater confidence and peace in our requests to God. It doesn’t require God to do anything for you. It expands our minds by searching for God’s heart in prayer. The result is to pray more in Jesus’ name. 

Here’s my suggestion: Write out your prayer requests. The Bibles says, you have not because you ask not, so don’t hold back on your requests. Let them flow. Write as many as you’d like. Leave some space between the request for my next suggestions which leads us to following the pattern of Jesus when he adds “so that”. 

After each request, ask yourself the question, why? Why would God answer this prayer? How would the answer to this request glorify God? Does the answer to this request have scriptural support?  

Now make it real by writing it down. After the prayer requests you wrote out, follow Jesus’ example and write two words, “so that”___________________. Fill in the answer of “so that”. Why would God answer?  

Now, consider if the “so that” reasons are vague or self-serving. If so, the request should fade from your prayer list. On the other hand, are the “so that” reasons rich with spiritual impact that leads to the Glory of God? If they are, then you have moved your heart in prayer toward praying in Jesus’ name. Your confidence in His answer is surer and your peace of praying in His Name will calm your soul and energize your heart. 

Father, teach us to pray in Jesus’ name and to Your glory so that You will be honored and that we may experience what you promised us; that our peace and joy would be full and abundant in You. I trust you will answer with confidence, to Your glory in the name of Jesus, who taught us to pray this way. Enrich our prayers lives so that we will be a testimony of Your glory in us. Amen!