“Jesus prayed not for our removal but our protection from the world.”
Thoughts from daily Bible reading for today – June 20, 2025
I pray not that thou shouldest take them out of the world. John 17:15
On His final night—hours before soldiers would come with torches and chains, Jesus could have prayed for anything. He could have asked His Father to airlift His followers out of harm’s way, to create spiritual bunkers where they could wait out the storm. Instead, He prayed something revolutionary: “Don’t take them out of the world, but protect them from the evil one.” This wasn’t a prayer of compromise but of divine strategy. Jesus knew that light belongs in darkness. Salt belongs where decay threatens. Seeds belong in soil. Love heals a broken world.
I think of this whenever I’m tempted toward spiritual isolation—building walls between “Jesus me” and “world me.” Jesus envisioned something braver: followers who would wade into broken places carrying hope, who would enter difficult conversations with grace, who would love their neighbors without demanding their transformation first. The beauty is in the tension. We’re called to be close enough to love the world but anchored enough not to drift with its currents. Perhaps this is why Jesus prayed not for our removal but our protection—because our witness isn’t shouted from safe distances but whispered in the trenches, where light is needed most.
There is a second application to this prayer: the desire to be on earth—to live is Christ, and the desire to be in heaven—to be with Christ is better. Facing death, exhaustion, and pain, part of us wants to depart from difficulty and enjoy our reward with our Savior Jesus. Jesus’ prayer echoes a request for His Father to keep His disciples in the battle, though persecuted and in pain, to stay in the world to fight the good fight beyond their pain, until the gospel heals this aching world.
You feel that tug-of-war in your soul? That tension Paul described so perfectly: “To live is Christ, to die is gain.” Some days, heaven’s gravity pulls stronger than others. When the diagnosis comes back malignant. When ministry leaves you bone-weary. When prayers seem to bounce off bronze skies. That’s when the whisper comes: “Wouldn’t it be easier to just be Home already?” I wonder if Jesus knew His disciples would feel this same tension. Perhaps that’s another layer to His prayer: “Father, when the stones start flying, when loneliness crushes, when prison walls close in—don’t let them surrender their post too soon.” Help them stay strong!
The battle matters. Your presence here matters. Every day you choose to stay engaged is another day light pushes back darkness. On those mornings when getting out of bed feels like climbing Everest, try this: Place your feet on the floor and whisper, “Today, I choose to stay in the fight. Not because it’s easy, but because someone is still waiting to hear about You through me.” Keep a “God glimpses” journal—moments when you catch heaven breaking through on earth. Remember that difficult soil often yields the most surprising harvests. Your longing for heaven isn’t weakness—it’s homesickness. But your willingness to remain? That’s holy strength. A grace-filled transformation is found in the tension of being in the world and not of it, and in being at home on earth, and being in your ultimate home in heaven. Pray for the Spirit’s strength.
Prayer
Lord, help me live in this world with a heart anchored in You. Keep me holy, yet compassionate, set apart yet engaged, reflecting Your light without being shaped by darkness. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
Application
Where is the Lord calling you to engage the world in a healthy manner, to be a bold influence for the gospel of Jesus Christ?
Related Reading
Matthew 5:14-16; Romans 12:2; Philippians 3:20; 1 John 2:15-16
Worship Resource
Danny Gokey: Worthy of it All
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