TO CHEW ON: " ' Now I am no longer in the world, but these are in the world, and I come to You. Holy Father keep through Your name those whom You have given Me, that they may be one as We are.' " John 17:11
How wonderful to hear Jesus pray for us—because this prayer was not only for the disciples present but also " ' … for those who will believe in Me through their word' " John 17:20. He prays that God will keep us. the need for such a prayer signals a danger of which we need to be aware: the possibility we could lose faith.
A short sweep through the Bible shows us some of the ways. God keeps us:
- Wherever we go. Like He was with Jacob, God is with us - Genesis 28:15; Proverbs 2:8.
- Physically. The psalmist expresses it: "He guards all his bones. Not one of them is broken" - Psalm 34:20.
- Always. He never sleeps - Psalm 121:4.
- Through His name. What does it mean to be kept "through His name"? The Amplified Bible expresses John 17:11: " 'Holy Father, keep in You name [in the knowledge of Yourself] them whom You have given Me' " - John 17:11 AMP. I understand it as getting to know the breadth and depth of His essence (His name) and seeing how capable He is of whatever we need.
- As we lay our anxieties on Him. He then guards our hearts and minds with His peace - Philippians 4:6,7.
- From the evil one - 2 Thessalonians 3:3.
- ...and what we have committed to Him - 2 Timothy 1:12. If we have committed our lives, His power can keep us through our lifespan until we see our salvation - 1 Peter 1:5.
- From stumbling, so we will be able to stand in His presence with joy - Jude 1:24.
- From the extreme test of end-time events, the "... the hour of trial which shall come upon the whole world to test those who dwell on the earth" - Revelation 3:10.
When we feel we are on precarious footing in our faith—perhaps after going through a test of sickness, bereavement, family troubles or whatever, we can take comfort in the fact that Jesus prayed for us to be kept. We can trust Him to make a way for us, through the difficulties, back to a firm footing of faith.
PRAYER: Dear God, thank You for Your keeping power. When my grip on faith in You is weak, please send an answer to Jesus' prayer for me. Amen.
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Unless otherwise noted all Scripture quotations are taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations marked AMP are taken from the Amplified® Bible, Copyright © 1954, 1958, 1962, 1964, 1965, 1987 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission." (www.Lockman.org)
