“Now, Father, glorify Me together with Yourself, with the glory which I had with You before the world was.” John 17:5
This brief statement is breathtaking in scope and substance, revealing the private, personal prayer life of The Lord, Jesus. The heartbeat of His prayer expressed His deep and abiding love for The Father, and His longing for The Reunion with Him.
In one sense, The Son and The Father can never separated from one another. They, along with The Spirit, are always together because they are three in one and the same Person. In a human sense, Jesus accepted His limitations, but longed to return to the kind of intimate relationship He once had with The Father, before the world was created.
Even with all the power and authority given to Him on the earth, these proved to be no substitute for The Reunion He longed to have with The Father. Jesus came to the earth out of obedience to the will of The Father. Personal, private prayer kept Him aligned with The Father’s will, and kept His heart softened to obey Him, even to the point of death. Thank you, Jesus.
“But we do see Him who was made for a little while lower than the angels, namely, Jesus, because of the suffering of death crowned with glory and honor, so that by the grace of God He might taste death for everyone.” Hebrews 2:9
While on the earth, completing The Mission, Jesus utilized prayer in His intense battle against evil. To be clear, He also seized hold of prayer to maintain His personal intimacy with The Father. Jesus was there when the world was created. As beautiful as the creation was, the earth held no chains on his body, or charms over His heart. It paled in significance to His love for The Father, and His home in Heaven.
Note to self: Intensity and intimacy are two sides of a healthy prayer life. Prayer was forged in Heaven in the heart of The Father. Prayer was God’s idea, long before you looked upon it as a good idea. Like two sides of the same coin, intensity and intimacy go together. Jesus exhibited both. You should too. Loving what you do, without spending time with The Father, will turn your passion into a possession. Praying reminds you to be a steward, not an owner, of what The Father has given you. Remember two things. You will never rise above your prayer life, and the best is yet to come.
Jesus longed to be “together” with The Father. This one word describes the very essence of prayer, and reveals the core value of Christianity. Faith in The Son is not a religion. He leads those who believe in Him, and bear His name, to an intimate relationship with The Father. Jesus offers no other expression of genuine faith. His followers should express nothing less.
The word “together” is a translation of the Greek preposition, “para.” It is often transliterated in the English language, to express very familiar terms such as parallel tracks, or the teaching of parables. Each concept is a picture of a side-by-side relationship. A train is derailed if one of the tracks is not properly aligned with the other. A teaching is clarified by placing it alongside another well-known experience, or widely held belief. This exhausts my personal knowledge of Greek prepositions.
Following Jesus leads to a powerful, parallel, prayer life marked by consistent companionship with The Father. Anything less than intensity for The Mission and intimacy with The Father is an indication that the prayer life of the follower is out of alignment. Jesus prayed for Gods’ will to be done in His own life. In parallel fashion, His followers should pray for The Fathers direction, protection and correction in their lives.
When Jesus prayed, He hungered for The Reunion with The Father. There was nothing on the earth that could satisfy the deepest longing of His heart. His obedience on the earth was His pathway to His home in Heaven, and His prelude to honor from The Father. Obedience to The Father is not only a good idea. It is God’s idea. Pray and obey.
“The first purpose of prayer is to know God.” Charles L. Allen
Praying leads to knowing The Father and obeying His will. When prayer warriors delay to obey, they begin to stray from The Father. Jesus prayed and obeyed, and longed for The Reunion. Prayer warriors follow His lead, and receive intensity for the battle, and restore intimacy with The Father. TALK LESS! PRAY MORE!