14 I gave your word to them and the world hated them, because they don’t belong to this world, just as I don’t belong to this world. 15 I’m not asking that you take them out of this world but that you keep them safe from the evil one. 16 They don’t belong to this world, just as I don’t belong to this world. 17 Make them holy in the truth; your word is truth. 18 As you sent me into the world, so I have sent them into the world. 19 I made myself holy on their behalf so that they also would be made holy in the truth.
20 “I’m not praying only for them but also for those who believe in me because of their word. 21 I pray they will be one, Father, just as you are in me and I am in you. I pray that they also will be in us, so that the world will believe that you sent me. 22 I’ve given them the glory that you gave me so that they can be one just as we are one. 23 I’m in them and you are in me so that they will be made perfectly one. Then the world will know that you sent me and that you have loved them just as you loved me.
24 “Father, I want those you gave me to be with me where I am. Then they can see my glory, which you gave me because you loved me before the creation of the world.
25 “Righteous Father, even the world didn’t know you, but I’ve known you, and these believers know that you sent me. 26 I’ve made your name known to them and will continue to make it known so that your love for me will be in them, and I myself will be in them.”
Reflection
In John 17:24–26, we get a glimpse of something deeply personal: Jesus praying not only for His disciples, but for all who would one day believe in Him, including us. Right before the cross, when he could have been focused on His own suffering, He turned His eyes to the Father and prayed for our future. “Father, I want those you have given me to be with me where I am, and to see my glory.” That is His heart’s desire. That we would one day stand in His presence, face to face, seeing His glory with our own eyes. This isn’t just about someday in heaven; it’s about knowing that even now we are being drawn into a love so deep and eternal that it started before the world began.
Jesus reminds us that the Father loved Him before creation, and that same love is being poured into us. Think about how steady that love is, before time, before our mistakes, before our doubts, God’s love was already flowing, and Jesus came so that we could experience it. He doesn’t want us to just know facts about God; He wants us to feel the reality of His love living inside us, shaping us, and giving us strength when life feels heavy. This means that no matter what we’re facing—loneliness, fear, rejection, confusion—we are never actually abandoned. We are wrapped up in a love that has no end, and Jesus Himself is living within us.
This prayer is a reminder that we belong. Jesus claimed us as His own and carried us into the Father’s heart. When the world feels chaotic and uncertain, this passage is like an anchor: Jesus is still praying for us, still holding us, still drawing us closer to the Father. Our hope is not in ourselves, but in the One who has always wanted us, who has always loved us, and who is preparing a place for us to be with Him forever.
So today, when doubts creep in or when you feel small and unseen, remember this, Jesus thought of you that night. He prayed for you. And His prayer wasn’t small. It was for you to know God’s love, to carry it within you, and to live with the assurance that one day, you will see His glory face to face.
by Abby Clark
Prayer
Jesus, thank You for praying for me, even before I was born. Thank You for wanting me close to You, for preparing a place where I will one day see Your glory. Help me to live today with confidence in Your love. That eternal love that existed before the world began and now fills my heart. When I feel afraid, alone, or unsure, remind me that You are with me and that I belong to You. Let Your love flow through me so others can see You in my life. Amen.
