Christ's strong desire

As Christ reaches the climactic petition of the prayer recorded in John 17, we are given a window into his ongoing intercessory labour. He prayed to his righteous Father 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." Here we find the fact of Christ's desire for his people, the reality of his will for a people given to him; the form of his desire for his people, that they should be in his presence and behold his glory; and, the foundation of his desire for his people—the eternal love that the Father has for him.