JESUS’ FINAL REQUEST
“I pray that they will all be one, just as You and I are one—as You are in Me, Father, and I am in You. And may they be in Us so that the world will believe You sent Me. I have given them the glory You gave Me, so they may be one as We are one. I am in them, and You are in Me. May they experience such perfect unity that the world will know that You sent Me and that You love them as much as You love Me.”
John 17:21-23 (NLT)
One of Jesus’ final requests was for unity. Think about how big of a deal unity is. How you spend your last few hours on this earth reveals what you prioritize. One of the things that is so near and dear to the heart of Jesus is unity. This is what He spent some of His last prayers on! He wanted the church to be one as He was one in the Trinity. Sometimes, it seems that we treat unity as extra credit. We treat it like it’s a great thing to strive for in the church, but it’s a great thing; it’s a necessary thing. God isn’t present where there isn’t unity.
If you have ever seen a California redwood tree, they are massive. They can grow up to 300 feet tall and 20 feet wide. I once saw a picture of a car driving through a redwood tree. The thing that has shocked me is how shallow their root system is. You would think they have roots that go really deep, but that’s not the reality. So how do they support such a huge amount of weight? They can do this because they intertwine their roots with the other nearby redwood trees. Their roots are connected, and they are literally holding each other up. Think about this: a massive, interconnected support system is just a few feet below the ground. Unity is the way they survive. It’s the way they grow. Unity is where their power is.
This is a picture of what Jesus prayed for. He prayed that our unity would hold each other up. He prayed that our unity would make us strong. He prayed that the church would be united. Think about it: people drive from all over the world to see these trees. There is something that has captured their attention. Unity will cause the world to take notice of the church. We live in a culture that is divided and fractured. The church must be countercultural. You must be countercultural; therefore, we cannot allow ourselves to become divided from our Christian brothers and sisters.
APPLICATION:
Fight for unity today with your church family.
PRAYER:
Ask the Spirit to give you a deeper desire for unity. Ask the Holy Spirit to reveal if there is any disunity between you and someone else. Thank God for the unity modeled in the Trinity.
“… Our Father in heaven…” Matthew 6:9b (NLT)
- What do You want to say to me today as my Father?
“… may Your name be kept holy.” Matthew 6:9c (NLT)
- What do You want to reveal to me about Your power today?
“May Your Kingdom come soon.” Matthew 6:10a (NLT)
- Help me make Your priorities my priorities today.
“Give us today the food we need,” Matthew 6:11 (NLT)
- Is there anything specific You want me to do with my time or the people I’m around today?
“and forgive us our sins, as we have forgiven those who sin against us” Matthew 6:12 (NLT)
- Reveal to me anyone I need to forgive or ask for forgiveness.
“And don’t let us yield to temptation…” Matthew 6:13a (NLT)
- Is there anywhere I’m vulnerable to temptation?