Calvary Baptist Church

We usually refer to the passage in Matthew 6:9 as the "Lord's Prayer."  It would be better to title that one, "The Disciples Prayer" because it is Jesus' instructions to the disciples about how to pray.  There are several passages that contain prayers of the Lord Jesus but none so extensive as the one in John 17.  We'll be studying this chapter for a while on Sunday mornings; this week our text is verses 1-5.  The prayer is divided into three parts, 1) Jesus' prayer for Himself, 2) Jesus' prayer for His disciples, 3) Jesus' prayer for the church.  The first section is connected to "The Disciples Prayer" because the priorities are identical.  First, Jesus taught and prayed that we should relate to God as "Father."  Then, He taught and prayed about certain priorities; namely God's Name/Glory, God's Reign and God's Will.  We tend to pray our priorities and live our priorities.  What do we pray about a lot?  What "frames" the things we pray about?  We can talk to God about anything but what do we talk to God about?  This prayer of Jesus helps us understand His mind and priorities...in turn this should shape ours.  Why do we have such a hard time keeping our "prayer priorities in order?"