Jesus has finished his sermon in the Upper Room and is now in the process of closing in prayer. So far he has prayed for himself. He has also prayed for his disciples, whom he will soon be leaving behind.

But in John 17:20-26, at the end of his last public prayer before his death, he turns his attention to the distant horizon. He prays for future generations of his followers. In other words, he prays for you and me. He doesn’t call us by name, but it’s clear he has us in mind.

Stop and think about that. The Lord looks past the present crisis of the cross and peers down the corridors of time to pray for us. He can go to the Father and ask for anything he wants to pray for; anything for us.

He could pray for our health. But he doesn’t. He could pray for our prosperity. But he doesn’t. He could pray for our protection. But he doesn’t. So here is a question:

In the shadow of the cross, what do you think is the most important thing on the heart of Jesus as he prays for us? That’s what we will find out this week.