That they may all be one, just as you Father are in me and I in you, so that the world may believe that you have sent me.
– John 17:21
This is Jesus’s prayer for us, for you and me.
Just think about this. Jesus is about to go to the cross. He prays for his disciples and then he prays for those who will believe in him through their witness, through their testimony. And you and I are part of that line. So this is Jesus praying for you and me. And what does he pray? “That they may all be one.” He prays for our unity as the Church, our unity together. And not just you and me, but every single follower of his, that they may be one just as, listen to this, “You, Father, are in me, and I in you.”
John 17:21 is Jesus’ prayer for unity among the Church.
Whoa, Trinitarian oneness, the Son and the Father together in a way that we can only imagine. And Jesus says, “That’s the kind of oneness I long for my followers to have together, so that…” Why? “So that the world may believe that you have sent me.” What a statement. That the world would believe that the Father sent the Son to be the Savior of the world, that the world would believe that because they see the unity, the oneness of the Church.
Oh, does this not just lead us to pray for unity amidst such divisions in the Church, to pray for unity, specifically with other brothers and sisters in Christ, to anyone who is a follower of Jesus, that we would be one? One, just as the Father and the Son are one. Oh, only God can bring this about.
But obviously, this is so important. This is what Jesus is praying for right before he goes to the cross. And he gives his life. It’s so important to Jesus that he gives his life for this kind of unity, this kind of oneness.
John 17:21 challenges us to pursue unity with other believers.
So, God, we pray that you would help us to pursue this picture of unity that you have purposed for us as your Church, that you’ve made possible for us Jesus, with your death on the cross. Jesus, you are our Lord. You are the head of the Church. So help us to fix our eyes on you, to grow in love for you, and our relationships with you, and as we do, draw us, we pray into deeper unity with other brothers and sisters in Christ. God, we pray that you would help us to work against division, to work for the oneness of your Church.
We pray for this in our local churches. Help us to love one another well, care for one another well, serve one another well, build each other up, pray for each other, bear with each other, weep with each other, and laugh with each other. God, we pray for deep [foreign language 00:03:21] community in our local churches and beyond, God, with other local churches and Christians from other places in the cities where we live. We pray for unity in your Church and the cities where we live and the towns where we live. God, we pray for oneness.
This verse encourages us to unite around God’s Word.
And God, we pray for this, when we think about our brothers and sisters in so many different places around the world, God, we pray for oneness with them, even though we may have different perspectives on a variety of things that are not clear and direct and your Word. God, help us unite around your Word, your Spirit, and your love for us so that the world might know. Lord, when we think about 3 billion people who’ve yet to be reached with the gospel. God, help us to work together well to get the gospel to them.
God, help us to be one on mission in the world, to not be divided or distracted in a way that keeps the world from coming to know your love.
Prayer for the Baharia People
God, we pray for the oneness of your Church, for the spread of the gospel to the Baharia people of Egypt and thousands of other people groups like them. God, help us to come together for the sake of those without the gospel right around us and far from us.
We pray all this according to your Word, what you prayed for us, knowing you want to answer this in our lives. Use us, we pray, to cultivate this kind of unity, to maintain the unity of the Spirit that you’ve made possible in your CWhurch in the bond of peace. We pray this in Jesus’ name. Amen.
David Platt serves as a Lead Pastor for McLean Bible Church. He is also the Founder and Chairman of Radical, an organization that helps people follow Jesus and make him known in their neighborhood and all nations.
David received his B.A. from the University of Georgia and M.Div., Th.M., and Ph.D. from New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary. Some of his published works include Radical, Radical Together, Follow Me, Counter Culture, Something Needs to Change, and Don’t Hold Back.
He lives in the Washington, D.C. metro area with his wife and children.
