Has fear influenced your thinking, your emotions, your decisions? If you answer “Yes,” or “Maybe,” I wouldn’t be surprised. Though we might not want to admit it, there are plenty of reasons to fear. I’m not going to list them. Instead, I want to point us to Jesus who concludes his prayer with some powerful words to help those of us who feel fear’s influence. Hear what he says in John 17, verses 24-26:
“Father, I want those you have given me to be with me where I am, and to see my glory, the glory you have given me because you loved me before the creation of the world. Righteous Father, though the world does not know you, I know you, and they know that you have sent me. I have made you known to them, and will continue to make you known in order that the love you have for me may be in them and that I myself may be in them.”
What a finish. Jesus makes it very clear that though he is physically leaving them, he still wants them to be one day be with him, to see his glory. He makes it clear that the disciples truly know the father. Then what he says in the final phrase might be the most astounding truth of all. Jesus says that he will continue to make the Father known to us so that the love the father has for Jesus will also be in us, and in fact so that Jesus will be in us.
Wow. Think about how much God the Father loves the Son. That’s amazing love, and Jesus’ prayer is that you and I would know that love of the Father in our lives. Jesus wants us to know that he is in us, and of course he is referring to God the Spirit living in us. What a powerful truth. God loves us and lives in us.
We need not fear the world around us. Instead, because God loves us and lives in us, we can with confident graciousness share his love with the world around us. Let’s do this in the way Jesus showed us. In regular community, talking and sharing our lives with other followers of Jesus. Inviting them into the depths of our lives. Talking about how things are in our relationships with Jesus. Our questions. Our struggles. This is exactly what we see happening in the conversations between Jesus and his disciples. Let’s also be in regular conversation with the Father, remembering we are on mission with him, following how his Spirit is at work in the world.
Engaging Scripture 