When we think about prayer, our minds naturally start thinking of our needs and where we want to see God’s breakthrough for ourselves.

There’s nothing wrong with that, in fact, the Scriptures exhort us to continually come before His throne of grace in times of trouble and need (Hebrews 4:16).

It is part of the great privilege that Jesus has redeemed for us through the cross, and we should never stop drawing near to Him and recognising that apart from Him we can do nothing.

This privilege is a part of the glory of prayer, where we get to see God reveal a facet of His nature and power through those answered prayer in times of our need.

Part of the glory of prayer is where we get to see God reveal a facet of His nature and power through answered prayer in times of our need.

The other glorious part of prayer is the dignity God has given to humanity: being able to respond in agreement with His heart and align ourselves with His will through our obedience.

Mike Bickle describes prayer as “taking what God has spoken to us (in the Scriptures), and saying it back to Him (in an agreement of hearts and alignment of our ways).”

In the midst of labouring for the God-given assignment of making disciples of all nations, we tend to forget there is a real God-Man, Jesus Christ, who is in Heaven right now, praying and interceding for us.

His eyes are always running to-and-fro across the earth, searching for hearts (2 Chronicles 16:9) that will live in a place of agreement and union with Him.

I believe the prayer of Jesus, recorded in John 17, is one of the most sacred chapters in the entire Bible. It is known as the “High Priestly Prayer of Jesus”.

In the Old Testament, only one appointed man (the High Priest) could enter into the Holy of Holies to talk to God on behalf of man on a specific day. 

But in the “High Priestly Prayer of Jesus”, we are not only are we witnessing the conversation of a High Priest, we are also looking right into the centre of the universe where God the Son talks to God the Father, through God the Holy Spirit.

Just pause for a minute and let this reality sink into your spirit. This scene in John 17 is a peek into the conversations that happened before the foundation of the world: The Perfect Communion of the Triune God.

Moreover, the conversation that they had was about you and me. It was this conversation of God that reveals the ultimate desire of His Heart.

Verse 24 of John 17 changed my life forever.

This verse reignited my passion for Jesus, and it became the primary anchor and paradigm of my prayer life. Not only that, it became the missional motivation in my service to Him and people.

What a wonder, that merely “showing up” to be with Jesus in the place of prayer, is to answer His prayer for us. If “showing up” with the desire to see and know Him, is to fulfill the desire of Jesus — that’s enough for me to stay in the place of prayer faithfully.

In answering that prayer in John 17, you also get in touch with His desire for humanity. Out of that place, we become the embodiment of His passion for others. This reality was the reason for my family’s salvation.

I felt His desire for me personally, and I encountered His burning heart for my parents. That desire of His became mine, and it transformed the way I treated my parents, and I began to love them with His passion.

There are great and wondrous things we can experience and see in the place of prayer. But what keeps me coming back is knowing that I am answering Jesus’ desire and prayer for me.

The privilege alone of moving Jesus’ heart is enough for me. The rest is merely a by-product of a constant beholding (2 Corinthians 3:16-18) that transforms us into His likeness — revealing Him.

I pray that when you show up in prayer, the first thing that comes to your mind is the delight of being the answer to Jesus’ desire and prayer.

This article was first published on Jason’s blog and is republished with permission.