“And the glory which You gave Me I have given them, that they may be one just as We are one: 23 I in them, and You in Me; that they may be made perfect in one, and that the world may know that You have sent Me, and have loved them as You have loved Me. 24 “Father, I desire that they also whom You gave Me may be with Me where I am, that they may behold My glory which You have given Me; for You loved Me before the foundation of the world.” John 17:22-24. NKJV
To discover what Jesus is giving us when He prayed for us to receive His glory, we must discover the nature of the glorious relationship enjoyed by the Heavenly Father and the Son that existed before the foundation of the world. Twice in His prayer, Jesus refers to the glory and bliss He enjoyed with the Father before the world began (John 17:5 and John 17:24). The same glorious relational bliss in the Godhead is now available to us because of Jesus’ prayer.
How do we discover the nature of the glorious relationship enjoyed by the Heavenly Father and the Son that existed from before the world began? Scripture gives us a glimpse. Although it may seem like an obscure passage, Proverbs 8:22-31 pulls aside the veil on eternity and shows us the exact nature of the ancient glory that has forever existed between the Father and Son.
Proverbs 8 reveals the prototype Father and Son relationship. It is the healthiest, most mutually delightful relationship that has ever existed. This relationship provides the perfect pattern for how we are intended to interact with God as His children.
The passage begins with verses that show the Son of God is eternal and has been with his Father forever (vs. 22-29). These verses reveal that there was a close creative collaboration between the Father and His Son during the act of creation. They were creative partners. But it is the next two verses that speak volumes about the nature of their relationship.
Jesus makes this statement: “Then I was beside Him as a master craftsman; and, I was daily His delight, rejoicing always before Him, Rejoicing in His inhabited world, and my delight was with the sons of men” (Proverbs 8:30-31).
If you look closely, you see that the Godhead had different functions during the process of creation. The Father functioned like an architect, planning creation, and the Son functioned as a builder, declaring, and carrying out His Father’s wishes. Jesus refers to himself as a “master craftsman” (vs. 30). Jesus, as His Father’s creative partner, was a highly skilled master artisan who turned all His Father’s creative ideas into functional works of art. A craftsman is both highly skilled and takes the time necessary to create something of great beauty. The work of creation was not rushed or performed under pressure to meet deadlines. The world was intended to be a place for humans to inhabit, but it also displayed the vast genius of the divine Master Designer and Artist.
The design studio of heaven resembled a party between Father and Son more than a workplace in which workers focus on completing tasks. As Jesus was by His Father’s side, crafting the world, He said, “daily I was my father’s delight, and I was rejoicing always before him” (vs. 30). This creative partnership between Father and Son had more focus on mutual delight than on accomplishing a goal.
The Father and Son were not in a hurry, and they placed a high value on enjoying each other in the process. And yet, the achievement of creation is magnificent and is by no means shoddy work. With no pressure to perform, and in a context of constant mutual delight and rejoicing, the Father and the Son created a masterpiece! In two verses describing the process of creation, the words “delight” and “rejoicing” are used twice. Jesus was so overjoyed at both the creative process and His finished product that He couldn’t stop rejoicing.
This relationship between the Heavenly Father and Son describes the exact nature of the relationship that God wants for us. We are not just heaven’s servants, born into God’s family to perform tasks. We are sons of God, birthed into God’s family as creative partners. We get to be co-creators with God and enjoy the experience of undiminished mutual delight that has existed between the Father and Son for eternity! Jesus wants us to experience the same glory and love that He has always enjoyed with His father, so that is what He prayed for you in John 17:22-24.
We declare that as you step through the gateway into 2024 it will be a year of increasing intimacy with our Heavenly Father. It will be a breakthrough year of delight as we partner with God in His glorious plans for each of our lives!
Comments