The Prayers Of Jesus: A 5-Day DevotionalSample

Jesus Prayed for the Father's Glory

Soli Deo gloria! To the glory of God alone. This Reformation “sola” easily falls off the lips of Protestants. But how many cry this out in the depths of despair? We know that seeking God’s glory remains our “chief end,” but at times we quickly turn to other solutions, seeking our own glory while running from the pain. When God puts our orthodox theology to the test in the troubles he providentially brings, he wants us to live out good theology, not simply know it. This was true for his Son; it will be true for us. 

Jesus did this very thing as he primarily came to earth to glorify the Father: “The one who speaks on his own authority seeks his own glory; but the one who seeks the glory of him who sent him is true, and in him there is no falsehood” (John 7:18; see also 8:29, 50; 17:1, 4).  How does one glorify God? Simply by obeying God’s will revealed in Scriptures (Westminster Shorter Catechism, Q. 2). Jesus had a special command to obey beyond the required moral and ceremonial laws he observed. His Father required him to die on the cross. 

When he resolved his “purpose” and desired to “glorify your [the Father’s] name” (“your will be done” and “hallowed be your name”!), his Father answered with an audible voice, one of only three recorded instances during the ministry of Jesus when this took place. Speaking of his own name, the Father replied, “I have glorified and I will glorify it again,” assuring his Son that the glory he sought would be secured without fail. We too lay hold of such a promise when we truly desire that God’s name would be “hallowed” in life as well as in prayer. Like Christ, we can pray this prayer with assurance—“glorify your name.”

Learn more about The Prayers of Jesus: Listening to and Learning from Our Savior  by Mark Jones (Crossway, 2019).