Experienced, to be shared

“O righteous Father! The world has not known You, but I have known You; and these have known that You sent Me.”- John 17:25

“O righteous Father! The world has not known You, but I have known You”, These words of Jesus’ closing prayer give us a glimpse of the intimate and reverent bond He shared with His Father, His confidence and testament to knowing His Father in a personal way. We also get a sense of His sadness for the world’s rejection of His Father. But what was it that Jesus knew about His Father that the world did not know? The previous verses tell us that this was the Father’s love- for Jesus and for us.

aAll of creation exhibits the Father’s love for and through His Son. Jesus’ purpose on earth was to reveal the Father’s character to an evil world. So how exactly do you reveal a love that transcends beyond the boundaries of time as we know it? That, only Jesus knew. ꚝof the Father, He brought for everyone the gift of Grace, the hope of salvation and truth of eternal life through the act of His sacrificial death on the cross and His subsequent resurrection.

The gospels give many accounts of how much time Jesus spent alone in prayer while He was on earth. His obvious commitment is evidence that He desired to act in accordance with the will of His Father. cHis life of obedience and humility was motivated by the deep and abiding love of His Father. Remember also the dFather’s personal endorsement of Jesus: “This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased. Hear Him!” what beautiful love between the Father and His Son, it’s clear no amount of evil in the world could have shaken such bond that eexisted before the foundation of the world.

But what is love if it is not shared? Jesus’ voluntary self-sacrifice on the cross revealed the potency of an immeasurable love. fIt’s here we find the love that secured the success of our redemption. A love experienced was a love expressed! This was the Father’s moment- His character shone bright in heaven and earth; His love was affectionately experienced, to be dependably shared. Let us always exalt Jesus our Savior for all that He has made possible and known to us.

Jesus Christ loves you; He has unselfishly prayed for you to experience the same intimacy and security of the Father’s love that He enjoyed. The Father loves you like He loves Jesus. For this week, make a commitment to spend a generous amount of alone time in prayer every day, that through Jesus and with the help of the Holy Spirit you too can affectionately experience and share with those around you- The immeasurable love of our heavenly Father.