愿神得着当得的荣耀
约翰福音十七章1至10节
1耶稣说了这话，就举目望天，说：父阿，时候到了，愿你荣耀你的儿子，使儿子也荣耀你；
2正如你曾赐给他权柄管理凡有血气的，叫他将永生赐给你所赐给他的人。
3认识你─独一的真神，并且认识你所差来的耶稣基督，这就是永生。
4我在地上已经荣耀你，你所托付我的事，我已成全了。
5父阿，现在求你使我同你享荣耀，就是未有世界以先，我同你所有的荣耀。
6你从世上赐给我的人，我已将你的名显明与他们。他们本是你的，你将他们赐给我，他们也遵守了你的道。
7如今他们知道，凡你所赐给我的，都是从你那里来的；
8因为你所赐给我的道，我已经赐给他们，他们也领受了，又确实知道，我是从你出来的，并且信你差了我来。
9我为他们祈求，不为世人祈求，却为你所赐给我的人祈求，因他们本是你的。
10凡是我的，都是你的；你的也是我的，并且我因他们得了荣耀。
信息分享
在学习祷告的过程中，我们今天要学的，也许是当中最难的一项功课；因为它教导我们：我们祈求神去成就某事的目的，乃是为了让神得着当得的荣耀。这项祈求听起来容易，但让我们先停下来想一想：我们通常是为到甚么事情向神祈求的？是否只为满足我们本身的心愿和期望？抑或，我们之所以为到那些事情向神祈求，完全是为了让神得着荣耀？也就是说，当神成就我们的祈求，神就会得着荣耀。
举例说，一位信主的姊妹，为甚么要求神帮助她的丈夫戒除酒瘾呢？是为免他饮醉之后大吵大闹，使她的生活不得安宁？是为了使她不再在人前丢脸？抑或，她为他祷告，是希望神赐他救恩，使他成为一个新人，以致他能荣耀神？这两种心态之间只有微妙的分别：一是为了解决自己的困扰，一是为了神的荣耀。神当然会为我们解决困扰，然而，我们却有否记挂着神的荣耀？
然而，我们从经文之中，却看到基督全心全意地祈求神得着荣耀。祂向神祷告说：「愿你荣耀你的儿子」，祂为甚么这样祈求呢？祂这样祈求是为了甚么目的？难道是为了自己？不，让我们看看紧接的下一句：「使儿子也荣耀你。」
因此，我们应该经常检视自己的祷告。我们所祈求的，全是为了满足自己吗？只懂得祈求神赐予自己各样好处吗？抑或，我们能够真诚地向神说：「父啊，我祈求你成就这事，为的是让人看见你是一位垂听和应允祷告的神。我会将颂赞和荣耀全归于你！」
经训：
「凡求告耶和华的，就是诚心求告他的，耶和华便与他们相近。」
诗篇一四五篇18节
PRAYER, FOR THE GLORY OF GOD
John 17: 1 - 10
1 Jesus spoke these words, lifted up His eyes to heaven, and said: “Father, the hour has come. Glorify Your Son, that Your Son also may glorify You,
2 as You have given Him authority over all flesh, that He should give eternal life to as many as You have given Him.
3 And this is eternal life, that they may know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom You have sent.
4 I have glorified You on the earth. I have finished the work which You have given Me to do.
5 And now, O Father, glorify Me together with Yourself, with the glory which I had with You before the world was.
Jesus Prays for His Disciples
6 “I have manifested Your name to the men whom You have given Me out of the world. They were Yours, You gave them to Me, and they have kept Your word.
7 Now they have known that all things which You have given Me are from You.
8 For I have given to them the words which You have given Me; and they have received them, and have known surely that I came forth from You; and they have believed that You sent Me.
9 “I pray for them. I do not pray for the world but for those whom You have given Me, for they are Yours.
10 And all Mine are Yours, and Yours are Mine, and I am glorified in them.
Message
Here is perhaps the hardest lesson of all to learn in the school of prayer. Our prayers must be for the glory of God. That sounds simple or easy, but stop and think about it for a moment. Why do we ask God for certain things? Just because we want them? Or can we honestly say that we are asking for them so that God can be glorified in answering our prayer?
Why does a Christian wife want her drunken husband to be saved? So that he will be easier to live with? So that she won't have to go to church on her own any more? It is easy for us who are not in her position to say she should only ask for his salvation so that God might be glorified. What if we were in her position? Would we find it easy to pray for the husband's salvation so that God might be glorified and not because he would be easier to live with?
But this is how Christ prayed. What did he ask God for? 'Father, glorify your son.' Why did he want this? Why did he ask for it? Read the rest of the verse. 'So that your son might glorify you.'
It would be good for us to look at the requests we send up to God. Are they selfish prayers? Are we asking only for our own good? Or can we honestly say 'Father I am asking for this so that others may see you are a prayer-hearing and a prayer-answering God and I will give all the praise and all the glory to you!'
A BERSE FOR TODAY:
The Lord is near to all who call upon him … in truth and sincerity.
Psalm 145: 18