Personal Prayer

Rev. Orsella R. Cooper
John 17:1-8 (NRSV)
1After Jesus had spoken these words, he looked up to heaven and said, ‘Father, the hour has come; glorify your Son so that the Son may glorify you, 2since you have given him authority over all people, to give eternal life to all whom you have given him. 3And this is eternal life that they may know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent. 4I glorified you on earth by finishing the work that you gave me to do. 5So now, Father, glorify me in your own presence with the glory that I had in your presence before the world existed. 6 ‘I have made your name known to those whom you gave me from the world. They were yours, and you gave them to me, and they have kept your word. 7Now they know that everything you have given me is from you; 8for the words that you gave to me I have given to them, and they have received them and know in truth that I came from you; and they have believed that you sent me.

Throughout your journey in life, you will set certain goals to achieve. While reaching those goals, not only will you need others to be by your side praying with and for you, but you will also need to stop and pray for yourself. In this scripture, Jesus recognized that it was time to give his Father a report of all that He had accomplished, the lives He had touched, and the places He traveled teaching people how to live for God. The first and most important factor to notice here is that He makes his prayer personal. He calls him, ‘Father.’ By calling him “Father,” it immediately raises the awareness that this relationship had already been established.

You see, all of us have our birth given names, but our titles for one another describe the type of relationship we have with one another. A friend is described as a person attached to another by feelings of affection or personal regard. A brother or sister is described as being related by one or both parents, but one definition of a father is described as a protector. When Jesus calls out to his Father, God’s attention is draw closer to Him because He knows His child needs Him and desires to protect Him. When we make our prayer personal, we are tuning into that relationship we started with God to help us step over obstacles, reach higher goals and obtain an even higher level in our spiritual relationship. God then, can hear your heart’s desires and give you assurance that He is always with you. Today, when you pray, make it personal. Call Him as your father, your mother, your protector, your Savior, JESUS and He will hear your prayer.

Prayer: “I call you Father, your name is Father, you are a Father to me! I call you Father, your name is Father! Father you are and Father you’ll be!”

Rev. Orsella R. Cooper
Associate Minister
Bethel AME Church
110 Grove Street
Bridgeport, CT 06610