I am not “The Unity Guy”

For over a decade, I’ve often had the experience where I’ll be with a group, someone will mention John 17, and someone else will turn to me and whisper, “It’s your prayer!” Well, actually, it’s not my prayer. Someone of infinitely greater stature gets the credit for that prayer. Obviously everybody knows that, but I want to be sure all the glory goes to Jesus (which is where the prayer begins, actually…).

Last week one of my dear friends said to me, “It actually bothers me when I hear somebody refer to you (meaning me) as The Unity Guy.” As we continued to talk, I knew exactly what she meant. Jesus wasn’t praying just for me in John 17, though He certainly was praying for me. But verse 20 makes it perfectly clear that He was praying for each and every one of us!

“My prayer is not for them (His disciples) alone. I pray also for those who will believe in me through their message.” 

He’s talking about every Jesus-follower in every city and in every generation. We’re all intended to be the “unity people”.

I know that none of us can give full attention to everything the Father is passionate about. He’s infinite; we’re very, very finite. So it isn’t problematic that my unique lane is different from others’ lanes. This may be the main and virtually only thing I’m intensely focused on; but Jesus seemed to think it was important enough that all of us make it at least some level of priority.

And we at J17 Ministries can help with that! If you haven’t already seen it, check out this page of our new website, How to Pray John 17. This is an incredibly practical page, not theoretical, and it includes some suggestions that have helped me level up on John 17 even after 14 years of full-time attention. For instance, I’ve set my alarm for 17:23 (5:23pm) each day as a reminder to pray some aspect of John 17 for somebody I know every day. I haven’t had any difficulty finding an application… and since it sometimes happens during dinner, it gives my wife and me another opportunity to pray John 17 together.

Jesus taught it, repeatedly; and then He thought it was so strategic and yet so challenging that He needed to pray it… at the moment when all history hung in the balance: Thursday night before Good Friday. One of the twelve referenced by Jesus above in John 17:20 not only recorded the prayer in His gospel, but wrote three letters in which the same theme is central. In 1 John, he was bold enough to say that if we say we love God but hate our brother or sister, we’re liars. I can think of a few 2025 applications of that sobering truth…

Let’s ALL become known as The Unity People. Jesus believed that this is how to change the world. Now would be a great time to prove Him right.

Dave Drum, Founder