He Prayed for Us Too
Month 10: The Upper Room · Family Worship
Today's Scripture
Read together: John 17:20-23
20 I am not asking on behalf of them alone, but also on behalf of those who will believe in Me through their message, 21 that all of them may be one, as You, Father, are in Me, and I am in You. May they also be in Us, so that the world may believe that You sent Me. 22 I have given them the glory You gave Me, so that they may be one as We are one— 23 I in them and You in Me—that they may be perfectly united, so that the world may know that You sent Me and have loved them just as You have loved Me.
Memory Verse
“I have told you these things so that in Me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But take courage; I have overcome the world!””— John 16:33 (BSB)
📖 Bible-in-a-Year (optional)
Today's reading: Mark 12-14
Reading the whole Bible in a year — do this when you have extra time. (The greatest commandment, the widow's two coins, the Last Supper, and Gethsemane — love poured out.)The Heart of It
Here is one of the most wonderful surprises in the whole Bible. Jesus is still praying in the upper room, and He says, "I do not pray for these alone, but also for those who will believe in Me through their word." Stop and let that land. Those who will believe. That means people who weren't even born yet. That's your church. That's the family of God across two thousand years. That's you, sitting at this table tonight. On the night before the cross, Jesus prayed for your family, before you ever existed. He saw you. He loved you. And He brought you to the Father.
And what does He ask for us? "That they all may be one... that the world may believe that You sent Me." Jesus prays that His people would love each other so deeply that the watching world would look at them and decide Jesus must be real. Our love for one another is part of the evidence for the gospel. So family worship tonight is simple, and it is big. We are an answer to Jesus' prayer. When we forgive instead of fight. When we serve instead of demand. When we welcome instead of leave people out. Each time, we make His prayer come true. And we show the world that the Father sent the Son. The God who flung the stars into the sky also prayed for us. And now He invites us to live like people who have been prayed for.
Around the Table
Long, long ago, Jesus prayed for YOU, before you were even born! And He asked that our family would love each other.
Let's do it: Hug someone in your family and say, "Jesus prayed for us!"
Jesus prayed for "those who will believe through their word." That includes us today. How does it feel to know Jesus prayed for you that night?
Let's talk: Jesus said our love for each other shows the world He is real. What's one way our family can show that this week?
Jesus tied the church's unity to the world's belief. He prayed "that the world may believe that You sent Me." Our love is part of the gospel's evidence.
Let's go deeper: If a friend were watching our family closely, would our love make Jesus more believable to them, or less? What needs to change?
💬 Conversation Starter
What's one thing our family could do this week to be such a loving family that someone watching would wonder, "What's different about them?"
🛡️ Defending the Faith
When someone says, "If God is real, why are Christians so divided?" you can answer honestly and with hope. Jesus prayed for our unity precisely because He knew it would be hard (). And He made it the world's clearest sign of His love. When believers truly love each other across their differences, it is striking. People can't explain it. And when we fail, we say sorry and try again, because the goal came from Jesus Himself. So be ready to give that reason with gentleness ().
For Dad · Go Deeper
This closes Month 10, and it closes the upper room with a staggering truth. You were prayed for on the eve of Calvary, before you had a name in this world. Don't let that pass as a nice feeling. It is fuel for your soul. Your home is meant to be a small, visible answer to . Francis Schaeffer called Christians' love for one another "the final apologetic." It is the proof a watching world can't wave away. So the discipleship you've been doing all month isn't just private devotion. It is evangelism on display. Tonight, take a moment to tell your children, plainly, three things. Jesus prayed for them. He wants them woven into the love between the Father and the Son. And the way your family treats one another is part of how the world will meet Jesus.
Draws on: Francis Schaeffer, The Mark of the Christian.
Let's Pray Together
"Lord Jesus, thank You that You prayed for us before we were ever born. Make our family one in Your love, so that the people around us would see You and believe. In Jesus' name, amen."
Jesus prayed for me before I was born. And now my family's love can help the world believe He is real.