True life is found not in achievements or busyness, but in personally knowing God through Jesus, who invites us into a deep, transforming relationship with Him.
Some of us walked in today with hearts that feel hurried and hands that feel full. Calendars cram our days, and yet our souls can still feel thin. In the middle of all that noise, Jesus gives us a sentence that settles the storm and steadies the soul. He prays for us. He speaks about life—real life, abundant life, forever life—and he uses a word we long to hear: know. Not distant theory. A Person. A name. Jesus.
Picture it: the Upper Room quieting, the night thick with the weight of what’s ahead, and the Son lifting his eyes to the Father. The prayer he prays opens a window into the heart of God. In this prayer, Jesus tells us what life truly is. Not a trophy to be won, but a relationship to enjoy. Not an achievement, a gift. He leads us from restless to rested, from weary to welcomed. Hear his words:
John 17:3 (ESV): “And this is eternal life, that they know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent.”
J.I. Packer wrote, “What were we made for? To know God. What aim should we set ourselves in life? To know God.” (J.I. Packer, Knowing God). That sounds a lot like what Jesus is telling us. Our Maker made us for more than existence; he fashioned us for fellowship. Your heart was crafted for closeness. Your soul was shaped for the Savior.
So let’s come to this verse with open hands and expectant hearts. Eternal life is not a far-off finish line; it opens right where you are, as you know the Father through the Son. This knowing changes things. It colors the mornings and quiets the midnights. It brings courage to the cubicle, patience to the pickup line, and kindness to the kitchen table. When we know Jesus, he reshapes what we want, renews how we walk, and reorders why we work. He puts purpose into every place—boardroom, bedroom, backyard—because he is there. He is near. He is knowable.
Friend, can you sense the kindness of Christ here? He doesn’t hand you a ladder to climb; he opens his arms to welcome. He calls you by name. He invites you to know him personally and continually. What if, today, you heard his prayer and answered it with your own? What if your heart said, “Yes, Lord, I want that life—life that knows You”?
Take a breath. Let the shoulders settle. Let the worries loosen their grip. The Savior is speaking, and his words are warm as a father’s whisper and steady as a sunlit morning. Let’s ask him to do what only he can do—teach us to know him, to be with him, and to walk in step with him until our steps carry us right into his presence.
Opening Prayer: Father, thank You for sending Your Son and for speaking life to us through his prayer. Open our eyes to see Your glory and open our hearts to know You. Lord Jesus, draw near and make Your nearness unmistakable. Holy Spirit, soften what has hardened, settle what has hurried, and satisfy what has hungered. Teach us to know You truly, love You deeply, and follow You gladly. Rewrite our worries with Your word, reshape our desires with Your love, and realign our days with Your purpose. Let the beauty of Christ brighten our minds and the peace of Christ guard our hearts. In the strong and saving name of Jesus we pray, Amen.
Jesus speaks in prayer, and the line is clear: life that never runs out is tied to knowing the Father and knowing the Son. This is personal. This is close. This is real knowledge that touches the mind, stirs the heart, and shapes the will. It is life because God is the source of life. It is life because His presence gives light and warmth to every place it enters.
The word know is personal speech in the Bible. It means more than facts. It means a bond. It carries trust and love. It means you take someone into your life. You listen. You answer. You keep company. Think about how friendship grows. You learn a name. You share stories. You spend time. You begin to anticipate thoughts and hopes. You start to mirror what you love about them. That is the sense here. Jesus is saying that life is found in a real bond with the Father and with Him. Facts about God matter. Yet facts become life when they move into trust, affection, and faithful response.
This helps you read Scripture with a new aim. You are not only looking for data. You are meeting the Lord who speaks. When you pray, you are not speaking to the air. You are answered by the God who hears. When you obey, you are not checking a box. You are agreeing with the One you love. This kind of knowing has room for questions. It has room for tears. It has room for silence. And it keeps moving toward Him with open hands.
Jesus names the Father as the only true God and calls Himself the One sent. Those words show the way in. The Father is the living God, faithful and pure. Jesus is the Messiah, the promised King, sent from the Father for our rescue. To know the Father, you receive the Son He sent. To know the Son, you receive the Father who sent Him. The two are not rivals. The Son perfectly shows the Father’s heart. His words, His works, His cross, and His empty tomb reveal who God is in clear daylight.
Think of what “sent” means. It means purpose. It means love that moves. The Father sends the Son to make God known in body and blood, in teaching and touch, in death and rising. So knowing God is not guesswork. You can watch Jesus in the Gospels and see the face of God. You can hear His voice and hear the voice of God. You can trust His promise and rest in the promise of God. When He welcomes sinners, you see the Father’s welcome. When He heals, you see the Father’s care. When He hangs on the cross, you see the Father’s plan to save.
Jesus prays in the present tense. “This is eternal life.” That tense matters. This life begins now. It grows through time. It is real on Monday as much as on Sunday. It continues when your hands are full and when they are empty. This is not a flash in a pan. This is a steady flame that God tends.
How does this grow? By the Spirit through simple means. You open the Bible and hear the Shepherd’s voice. You speak in prayer and find that He meets you. You gather with His people and are carried along by songs and words and a shared table. You confess sin and He cleanses you. You follow His commands and your steps find steady ground. You suffer and He holds you fast. Over months and years, you notice that you know Him more. You can say, “I trust You here,” in places where you once feared. You can say, “Your will be done,” in rooms where you once tried to control.
This life shows itself. Love begins to spread. Old habits lose their grip. New desires take form. You learn to forgive because you have been forgiven much. You learn to give because you have been given much. You learn to serve because the King put on a towel and served you first. You learn to speak of Him because He first spoke your name.
It also shapes how you see time. The word eternal does not only speak of length. It speaks of quality. It is the life of the age to come touching this age. It brings hope that does not fade when your plans fall apart. It brings peace that does not vanish when storms rise. It brings courage that steps forward when the path is unclear. It brings joy that sings even with tears. And when death comes, it does not end this knowing. It ushers you into clearer sight of the One you already know.
Knowing Jesus never leaves you standing alone. He joins you to a people. You are part of His body. Together you learn His ways. Together you carry His name into your homes, your work, your city. You bear with one another. You pray for one another. You rejoice and weep together. This shared life is a sign that the life of God is at work among you. Through this, many come to see and to say, “He is real. He is good. He is worth my whole life.”
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