It is no longer I who live, but it is Christ who lives in me. Galatians 2:20 NRSV.

As for God, His way is perfect; the word of the Lord is flawless. He is a shield for all who take refuge in Him. 2 Samuel 22:31.

Reading this chapter, John 17, I try to imagine what it was like for Jesus, the Son, and the disciples as He gave His final words in this life to them who had been with Him faithfully throughout His ministry here. Because, here, He is speaking to the Father and they are listening to this prayer for them and by extension, for us. Jesus spoke these things; and lifting up His eyes to heaven, He said, “Father, the hour has come; glorify Your Son, that the Son may glorify You, even as You gave Him authority over all flesh, that to all whom You have given Him, He may give eternal life. This is eternal life, that they may know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom You have sent. I glorified You on the earth, having accomplished the work which You have given Me to do. Now, Father, glorify Me together with Yourself, with the glory which I had with You before the world was. I have manifested Your name to the men whom You gave Me out of the world; they were Yours and You gave them to Me, and they have kept Your word. Now they have come to know that everything You have given Me is from You; for the words which You gave Me I have given to them; and they received them and truly understood that I came forth from You, and they believed that You sent Me. I ask on their behalf; I do not ask on behalf of the world, but of those whom You have given Me; for they are Yours; and all things that are Mine are Yours, and Yours are Mine; and I have been glorified in them. I am no longer in the world and yet they themselves are in the world, and I come to You. Holy Father, keep them in Your name, the name which You have given Me, that they may be one even as We are. While I was with them, I was keeping them in Your name which You have given Me; and I guarded them and not one of them perished but the son of perdition, so that the Scripture would be fulfilled.” v. 1-12. I wonder if we can even begin to understand the oneness of Creator God – Father, Son, Spirit. Can we begin to understand the oneness they long for for us? The divisions here in this broken world, the us-vs.-them mentality creating such division and discord is not the way of the Kingdom of Creator God. “But now I come to You; and these things I speak in the world so that they may have My joy made full in themselves. I have given them Your word; and the world has hated them, because they are not of the world, even as I am not of the world. I do not ask You to take them out of the world, but to keep them from the evil one. They are not of the world, even as I am not of the world. Sanctify them in the truth; Your word is truth. As You sent Me into the world, I also have sent them into the world. For their sakes I sanctify Myself, that they themselves also may be sanctified in truth. I do not ask on behalf of these alone, but for those also who believe in Me through their word; that they may all be one; even as You, Father, are in Me and I in You, that they also may be in Us, so that the world may believe that You sent Me. The glory which You have given Me I have given to them, that they may be one, just as We are one; I in them and You in Me, that they may be perfected in unity, so that the world may know that You sent Me, and loved them, even as You have loved Me. Father, I desire that they also, whom You have given Me, be with Me where I am, so that they may see My glory which You have given Me, for You loved Me before the foundation of the world. O righteous Father, although the world has not known You, yet I have known You; and these have known that You sent Me; and I have made Your name known to them, and will make it known, so that the love with which You loved Me may be in them, and I in them.” v. 13-26.

As we live in and see the disunity of this broken world, can we ponder these beautiful words…that they may be perfected in unity…how can that be possible in this present world? The discord and disunity of this world shows us what is not of God and we can be disillusioned and hurt when we trust in anything or anyone other than Creator God to lead us. Sanctify them in the truth…Your word is truth. This is eternal life…that they may know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom You have sent. The failure of mankind, created in the very image of Creator God, has been to turn away from our Creator. And in turning away from Him we turn away from one another. And when we turn away from God and from one another, we turn to the evil one, the ruler of this broken world – broken by Satan who hates God and hates us and lies about who we are. And we are lost in his lies and confusion and hatred whose tarnished fruits are discord, enmity, war, atrocity, cruelty, violence, political and religious hatred and intolerance, the list goes on and on and on. No wonder we can’t see God to feel His closeness and His love. More and more I’m beginning to appreciate that we need to see all of that before we can truly appreciate what Creator God is not. But know that when you grow weary of all you see and experience that is not of God’s love, that He is here and you can turn to Him and receive His peace and His love. A devotional I read this week pointed out that instead of telling someone hurting that we are praying for them – tell them that Creator God is WITH THEM IN that boat being tossed asunder by all this world throws at them. That’s how close He is when we turn to Him. The glory which You have given Me I have given to them, that they may be one…just as We are one…I in them and You in Me, that they may be perfected in unity, so that the world may know that You sent Me, and loved them, even as You have loved Me. Isn’t that our deepest need to know that we are loved? I in them and You in Me. There is no greater love! It is no longer I who live, but it is Christ who lives in me. That is the oneness we need! Creator God will help us and shepherd us through our journey in this broken fallen world. He is the only One who can in His Love. As you walk with Him, you experience His peace and His love – and you trust for the very first time this profound Love Creator God has for us His children, dearly loved.