Ever wonder what’s on God’s To-Do List?
We can imagine a big part of it is devoted to processing the millions of petitions the Almighty receives each day – from the sick in Senegal, the hungry in Hoboken, the desperate in Darfur – ethical queries from pregnant teens, detailed explanations from accident victims, and requests for winning lottery numbers from yours truly.

But not infrequently we also imagine a fair share of requests from Jesus. Yes, the Bible suggests Jesus is asking God to do things for us. And we wonder what Jesus is asking God to do for you and me? What are His priorities for us?

In the 17th Chapter of John’s Gospel, which we’ll hear this Sunday, we hear how Jesus prays for those who follow Him. And we notice He doesn't pray for healing, or Cadillacs, or even a smooth ride on life's roller coaster.

Jesus prays that we would be one with Him. His priority is that our wills would be the same as His will. He prays that our goals and aspirations and life focus would be on knowing God – and, thus, working for the reconciliation of the world. Many of us wonder why our prayers for that bad ankle, that new job, or more civilized children, never seem to get answered. Maybe it's because that’s not the priority – rather, prayers that move circumstances that better shape us into the kinds of people we, deep down, truly desire to be, may be carrying the day.

Jesus is listening to our prayers – He is closer than a brother – when our desires aren’t met – when our prayers aren’t being heard – we may want to ponder God’s priorities and our priorities, where they meet, and how we might work to bring them together.


Reading
Love, Power and Justice – Paul Tillich
Tattoos on the Heart – Greg Boyle
Radical – David Pratt