A Heart for Prayer: 5 Days of Drawing Close to Father GodSample

The One Jesus Loves

Ask most people who they are and many times they’ll tell you what they do for a living, which hobbies they enjoy, or where they come from. They might even tell you who they know by doing a little name-dropping.

We all have a deep desire to be liked and respected by our peers. We crave validation and approval from both friends and family. As a result, we spend large amounts of energy trying to climb the corporate ladder, rubbing shoulders with the right people, upgrading our houses and cars, becoming the best at a particular skill or hobby.

When our core identity is tied together with our job, family, or hobbies, our emotions can go up and down like a roller coaster. I’ve heard many athletes talk about the bouts of depression they experience during periods of injury or slumping performance. On a personal level, my own emotions have fluctuated based on my performances as a distance runner. We come to rely on certain results in order to feel good about ourselves. This is simply another version of “identity theft.”

If we had the opportunity to ask the disciple John, “What is your primary identity, the deepest part of who you are at the core?” what do you think his response would be? He could easily say, “I’m one of the original disciples, an apostle, an evangelist, writer of twenty percent of the New Testament, including the popular Gospel of John, Revelation, and several others.” 

John would say none of those things. Instead, his simple response would be, “I am the one Jesus loves.” In fact, “the disciple Jesus loved” is mentioned five times in the Gospel of John (13:23; 19:26; 20:2; 21:7; 21:20). We see the word love appear over eighty times in John’s writings (Gospel of John, 1 John, 2 John, 3 John, and Revelation). This is a man who knows he’s loved and where his true identity rests.

I’m so thankful for the tender moment John shares with us in John 13:23–25: “Now there was leaning on Jesus’ bosom one of His disciples, whom Jesus loved. Simon Peter therefore motioned to him to ask who it was of whom He spoke. Then, leaning back on Jesus’ breast, he said to Him, ‘Lord, who is it?’” (NKJV).

This glimpse of intimacy with Jesus has the power to transform our times of prayer. John was at ease with his Master. We don’t sense any worry or striving in this moment. One chapter later, John records the words Jesus uses when asked to describe his Father. As Jesus replied to one of his disciples, “Have I been with you all this time, Philip, and yet you still don’t know who I am? Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father!” (John 14:9).

And one chapter later, he says, “I have loved you even as the Father has loved me. Remain in my love” (John 15:9).

When you and I are close with the Son, we’re close with his Dad. So, the next time someone asks you who you are, tell them the truth: “I’m the one Jesus loves.”

Reflection: Spend some time visualizing yourself reclining on the chest of Jesus while he whispers sweet words to you. What is he saying to you? Slowly repeat the following prayer until it sinks deep into your soul: “Jesus, I belong to you. My identity rests in your love for me.”

This plan has been an excerpt from the book "A Heart for Prayer: 21 Days of Drawing Close to Father God"  by CJ Hitz.