August 14th, 20

Jesus Prays a Blessing Over You

Today’s readings are Jeremiah 18 – 20, Psalm 93, and John 17.  We are reading from the New Living Translation.

Jesus is praying a prayer of blessing for us.  We see this kind of prayer throughout the Bible.  The patriarchs, before they died, would pray a blessing over their children.  Their prayer of blessing was a gift that they wanted to bestow upon each of their children.  It conferred upon them their place, their identity, their inheritance, and their place within the family. Jesus, in John 17, is offering a prayer of blessing  upon those that God has given him, not just the 12 that gathered with him that night, but beyond – even to us. His blessings are being conferred upon us.  They tell us who we are in the family of God, and what our inheritance is as his children.  In verse 8 he gives the message of love and the forgiveness of sins – the message of life in the Son.  The Gospel has been conferred and spoken over us, and is our gift from God.  From this gift flow other gifts like the gift in verse 11, of unity, and protection from this world.  He prays:

Holy Father, you have given me your name; now protect them by the power of your name so that they will be united just as we are.

He is offering the gift of protection from this world and unity with him and with each other.  In verse 13 he bestows on us the gift of joy:

Now I am coming to you. I told them many things while I was with them in this world so they would be filled with my joy.

The things he tells us, bestows on us, is joy! And we find what he tells us, in his word.  In verse 14 he says:

I have given them your word.

Christian, in his word we will find his joy!  We will be reminded of who we are in Him, the love that he has bestowed upon us, and the hope that we can carry into each day.  

In verse 19 he says that He has given himself as a sacrifice for us.

And I give myself as a holy sacrifice for them so they can be made holy by your truth.

He bestows upon us the gift of His own life, as a sacrifice for our lives, reconciling us to God.  And finally, he has given us the gift of his glory.  Verse 22 says:

I have given them the glory you gave me, so they may be one as we are one.

He’s given us the gift of glory.  Paul tells us that that is Christ IN you.  Christ in you is your hope and  your glory. The blessing of Christ’s abiding presence in you is the Christian life.  And that is the life we can live today.  God’s blessings are poured out and rest upon us: protection, unity, the message of life, joy, his word, his sacrifice FOR us, and his life IN us.  These blessings are an outpouring of God’s love for us.  

Now may your roots grow down into God’s love and keep you strong. And may you have the power to understand, as all God’s people should, how wide, how long, how high, and how deep his love is. May you experience the love of Christ, though it is too great to understand fully. Then you will be made complete with all the fullness of life and power that comes from God.  (Eph 3:17-19 NLT)

You are loved!