John 17:1-5(from the Amplified translations) (After Jesus' triumphant entry into Jerusalem on Palm Sunday, clearly indicating to those who had discernment that He was presenting Himself as the Messiah and before He was arrested later by the religious rulers, knowing these hours were the last He would spend with His disciples, John records an extensive, astounding prayer that Jesus Himself prayed.) Jesus lifted up His eyes to heaven and said, "Father, the hour is come. (Jesus knew what lay before Him, that He was about to be arrested to fulfill the sacrificial suffering and death that lay before Him. He models what we should do when we are faced with daunting and difficult situations looming before us.) Glorify and exalt and honor and magnify Your Son, so that Your Son may glorify and extol and honor and magnify You. (Even though Jesus is the Son of God, He prayed for strength. He prayed that His motives and purposes would honor His Father. As the Lord leads us through difficult places, our prayer should reflect the desire of Jesus that we also glorify and honor the Lord.) Just as You have granted Him power and authority over all flesh, all human kind, (Jesus was always mindful that His "place," His "standing," His purpose, came from His Father. Rather than seeking glory for Himself, He remained deferential to His Father God. Everything we have, everything we are comes from Father God, and He has granted us power and authority that comes directly from His Hand.) now glorify Him, so that He may give eternal life to all whom You have given Him. (Jesus knew that God's purposes in glorifying His Son would yield the great and priceless gift of life to us and willingly laid down His life for that purpose.) And this is eternal life: it means to know to perceive, recognize, become acquainted with and understand You, the only true and real God, and likewise to know Him, Jesus as the Christ, the Anointed One, the Messiah, Whom You have sent. (This rich and abundant life that Jesus extends to us through His death and resurrection is ours this very day, today. No matter what we are experiencing, no matter what problems and challenges lie before us, we have been given life in Christ, a relationship that powerfully and eternally connects and binds us to our Creator and Father God. The Lord gives us the great and priceless gift of relationship, of becoming acquainted with God Himself and helps us to begin to comprehend and understand the incomprehensible and glorious and mighty God and Lord of our lives.) I have glorified You down here on the earth by completing the work that You gave Me to do. (Even as Jesus Himself was given a mission by God to fulfill, the Lord has purposes that He has designed for each of us to accomplish. When we do the work of God to which He directs us, we bring glory and honor to Him.) And now, Father, glorify Me along with Yourself and restore Me to such majesty and honor in Your presence as I had with You before the world existed. (Just as Jesus asks God to help Him fulfill the purpose for which He came to earth, praying that He will be strengthened by God to accomplish His mission, knowing that when He has finished His work, He will be enfolded into the very Presence of His Father once again, when we carry out the Lord's purposes in our lives, He embraces us by pouring out His Glory and Presence over our lives.)
