◄ What Does John 17:1 Mean? ►

Jesus spoke these things, looked up to heaven, and said: Father, the hour has come. Glorify Your Son so that the Son may glorify You,

John 17:1(HCSB)

Verse of the Day

The prayer of all prayers was prayed by the Lord Jesus as the pivotal hour in the history of the ages had finally arrived. The moment, which was planned in eternity past and towards which every step of Christ's earthly pathway had been progressing, had finally arrived. The Cross, where the blood of the eternal Son of God made Man, had reached its terminus.

The Lord Jesus lived His life following God's divine timetable. Every day in His life was planned and prepared by the Father. Every meeting and every conversation was guided by the Spirit of God. Every act and action, every temptation and trial, every pain, and every prayer, was preparing Him for this ultimate hour, without which the sins of the world could never have been forgiven and salvation could never have been procured. The Lord Jesus lived a life that from beginning to end cried: "Thy will be done."

Christ had glorified God throughout His life, by His miracles, by His ministry, by His grace, by living in humble obedience to the Father, and by submitting to the power of the Spirit, for He had laid aside His pre-incarnate glory. And as He faced the Cross, He prayed that His glory that was set aside to do the Father's will, would be restored. He prayed that the eternal glory He had with God the Father before the world began, would be returned to Him so that He might glorify His Father in heaven.

Christ's sacrifice on the Cross had to come before His resurrected glory. The Cross had to precede the Crown for you and me to be redeemed. Let us seek to follow in the steps of the Master and embrace the Cross for His name's sake so that in the ages to come we may share in His glory.

My Prayer

Thank You, Father, that Your glorious plan and purpose was for Jesus to go to the Cross and suffer humiliation, pain, and bitter agony so that I might be redeemed by His blood and share in the riches of His grace. Praise Your holy name, AMEN.