John Knox (1513-1572) was one of the leading influences of the Protestant Reformation, a friend of John Calvin’s, and the founder of the Presbyterian Church of Scotland. Knox’s greatest gift to the church wasn’t his theological acumen or his penetrating scholarship. It was his intense commitment to prayer and preaching. That’s all he felt he needed: talking to God about people and talking to people about God. Knox said, “One man with God is always in the majority.” What power God wielded through this man! Mary, Queen of Scots—better known to history as Bloody Mary—is reported to have said, “I fear the prayers of John Knox more than all the assembled armies of Europe.”
But it wasn’t always so. In fact, it seems Knox wasn’t even converted until his early 30s. Educated as a Catholic priest, Knox was serving as a private tutor when he came under the influence of Protestant preaching. But what really brought the gospel home to his own heart was his reflecting on John 17, where he was deeply moved by the powerful and protective love of God for His people. Years after his conversion, Knox wrote about this text: “O that our hearts could without contradiction embrace these words, for then with humility should we prostrate ourselves before our God, and with unfeigned tears give thanks for his mercy!”
He’s exactly right. There are few places in the Bible that show the powerful and protective love of God better than this one. I’ve been reading and pondering this chapter in my own devotions for the past week or so, and over the next few weeks I’d like to share some of those meditations with you.
Jesus is praying—in fact, John 17 is the longest conversation in the Bible between members of the Godhead. And nearly everything He says directly applies to all Christians. …which means, if you are a Christian, He’s praying for you. Think of it: Jesus is hours from death. He’s talking to His Father about the most important things on His heart. And one of those most important things, if you are a Christian, is you.
Next week—what He asks the Father to do for you… and why.