TUESDAY - Devotional

READ: John 17:15

(Answer the question/s below in your app notes)

• How does it make you feel knowing Jesus prayed for your protection? How can you pay attention to the results of his prayer?

Placate: make (someone) less angry or hostile

In other words: appease someone

Used in a sentence: Politicians are often excellent at placating the public.

Sometimes, you may be in a situation where you ask yourself: Is this person just saying what I want to hear? It’s important to develop the discernment skills to identify when people are genuine, and when they’re just paying lip service—saying something just to placate you.

Jesus prays an interesting prayer in John 17. He says, “My prayer is not that you take them out of the world, but that you protect them from the evil one.” Jesus isn’t trying to placate the disciples by promising an easy life or removing every hard thing. Instead, Jesus is honest: life will be challenging, but God’s protection will be real. God doesn’t offer comforting words just to calm us down. God offers truth, strength, and presence. And learning to recognize the difference between empty reassurance and real care helps us grow wiser—and trust the One who never just tells us what we want to hear.