Day 42

               Easter Sunday. As morning gilds the skies, my heart awakening cries, may Jesus Christ be praised! Lord, the words of this old hymn are so applicable today. Somedays the morning sun shines bright and enlightens the whole world. Other mornings, clouds hang low and block the sun as rain or snow litter the sky. Either way, the sun rises and Jesus Christ is worthy of praise. What did that first morning out of the tomb look like to You, Jesus? Was there a great sense of relief and satisfaction knowing that You had fulfilled Your Father’s charge of saving mankind from their sin? You stepped out of death and sin into Your glorified body, never to be tainted again! He is risen, indeed! Amen.

 

Day 41

               A prayer for preparation Saturday. Lord, I confess that I am in the valley, the valley of physical issues, the valley of mental distress, the valley of questioning and doubt. I am looking forward to a better day and time when the troubles of this world will not even be a memory. Thank You for Your victory over sin and death that lifted You out of the valley of both the cross and the tomb. What was that Saturday like for You Lord? How did you battle Satan and his demons in his own ground in Hell? Did You rest in Your Father’s arms awaiting His life-giving breath to revive You back to life? More than any questions I have for You, I give You praise for enduring Saturday, the day between the cross and the resurrection. Amen.

 

Day 40

               A prayer for Good Friday. Lord, we know the story of the cross and the horrible nature of the death by which You were slain. I know that for one moment in eternity, You and Your Father were separated by my sin. The darkness of that day I cannot begin to understand. Thank You for Your willing death, Your forgiveness for those crucifying You, the parting of the curtain to open the pathway to you, the confession of the Roman soldier “Truly this was the Son of God”. How can I express my gratefulness for your unconditional love for me? As l long as the Lord tarries to return to claim his own, the story of the cross remains the most important thing for me to share with my loved ones and any that would hear the story. Praise God for His great love and faithfulness. Amen.   

 

Day 39

               Maundy Thursday. Oh Jesus, what a busy day You had before You suffered and died. You didn’t hole up on some mountain top. You celebrated the Last Supper with your disciples, demonstrating ultimate humility by serving them and washing their feet. You gave all of us instructions on how to remember and honor You through the cup and the bread. You prayed to Your Father and pleaded for His will to be done, knowing the cost. You endured the betrayal by one of Your own for the pittance of 30 silver coins. Help me to remember that though you were God, you also wore the mantle of man. All of these things you were part of Your humiliation, even before the mockery, the whip, the thorny crown and the cross. Hallelujah, what a Savior.  

 

Day 38

               Good Wednesday. Lord, we call it ‘Hump Day’, a day to mark the middle of our work week. A time to look forward to the weekend. What was ‘Hump Day’ to You? I doubt of the remainder of the week looked pleasant. Your disciples, however, probably were looking forward to celebrating Passover in the Temple, as good Jewish people were called to do. You were called to provide goodness and fulfillment to the Law in a manner none of your disciples could imagine. Goodness is just one of the many facets of Your divine nature we are grateful that you share with us through Your sacrifice. Thank You that every good and perfect gift comes from You. 

 

 

Day 37

               Holy Tuesday. The fact that we consider another day as Holy in this week leading up to Easter emphasizes His divine, unadulterated nature and our need for the salvation only He can provide to rid us of sin. Without Christ, we are hopeless to approach His Father whose Holiness is wrapped in pure, unending light. We don’t naturally desire Your presence because we are fearful of the terrible purity and wrath that is part of your Holiness. Holy Spirit, speak to those that have not acknowledged Christ as Lord so they may not have to face a righteous God when their lives end. In Jesus' name amen.

 

Day 36

              

               Holy Monday. Lord God as we start the week of remembrance and celebration help us to keep our mind and heart on You. The reality of the cross is a reminder of the ghastly, grim nature of our sin. The empty tomb is an invitation to the believer to consider the supernatural, the resurrection on the God-man, Jesus Christ over both death and our sin. We must first come to grips with the filthiness of our sin, especially when applied to the Perfect One, before we can truly accept and believe in His victory. This week will be another gift of time for each of us to consider both of these truths.

 

Day 35

               Jesus, what did the shouts of Hosanna sound like to you as you entered Jerusalem before you had to face sin and death alone? The temporal adoration of those that would in mere days turn on You and demand Your crucifixion must have been bittersweet. As You approached the destiny appointed to You from eternity past, did you recall all of humanity’s trespasses with abject horror and disdain? Slowly, even those disciples that You had gathered around Yourself fell away, fearfully of the fate You alone must face. The strength of Your purpose, love and grace could never again be mustered by anyone but You. Your faithful discipline to follow Your Father’s demands to fulfill the Law will be celebrated by all who believe forever.

 

Day 34

               Disturb us, oh God, when we fall into the trap of self-sufficiency or doubt. Help us to remember that You were enough in the past and are more than in enough for the present and the future. I confess that in the mundane nature of life that I don’t always acknowledge Your faithful hand on me and my circumstances. If necessary, rock my world, though it may challenge me to surrender even more to Your Holy Spirit. I know the uncharted ways that you may lead me through are far better than the seemingly secure paths I would select on my own. The release of myself through the struggles that you allow me to experience is what refines my faith in Your overwhelming grace and provision.

 

Day 33

“In the time of all eternity and the space of all creation, there is no one exactly like you.” And yet, we know that God’s offer of the gift of Salvation is freely given to each one of us, a gift that is both universal and individual. We have heard it said that if only one person were born and under the condemnation of sin, Christ would have died for him or her. However, there have been billions born before and after Christ’s death, all under sin’s death sentence. Jesus came to absorb our debt, to put it to death and rise victorious over both death and sin. His life, death and resurrection were and are enough to be a substitute for our marred lives. Praise God we are His!

 

 

Day 32

               The coming Easter conjures up memories of new outfits, big bright hats for women, Easter egg hunts and meals shared with family and loved ones. I look at old family movies and the joy on all of our faces was clear, unmistakable. It wasn’t until later in my life did I truly understand the real significance of this annual rite of spring. All the assorted trappings of Easter have become entrenched in a world that would prefer to make more of Fat Tuesday than even Easter itself. This time of Lent should force us to reexamine who we are in light of what He did. Help us Lord to see through glitter of the Holiday to worship the creator of our Hope and Salvation. In His name we pray.

 

Day 31

               “Where you there when they crucified my Lord?” the old hymn asks. No, none of us was there to see heaven’s Holy One dragged through the streets, bearing a cross meant for us. We weren’t there when spikes were driven through his hands and feet, fixing our transcendent Lord to a particular time and space so revolting that even His own Father had to turn away. Alone, Jesus, died an agonizing death, allowing all of our sins to be placed on Himself as a once and for all perfect sacrifice to atone for our corruption. The mocking crowds, the gambling soldiers, and even his mother and John couldn’t comprehend the significance of this ghastly scene of blood, pain and death. Thank goodness there was a Sunday coming!

 

 

Day 30

               Oh Lord, our Lord, how majestic is your name in all the earth. Confined as we are to this world, we have no sense of the ongoing praise you are receiving as you sit on heaven’s throne. God we know from the scriptures that you are an intervening God, a God that cares for His people and hear their prayers. Help us to feel your comfort and peace whenever trials arise. May we feel both your rod and staff at all times in our lives. We are a stiff-necked people yet we long to do Your will in spite of our self-centeredness and bent for sin. Cleanse us from all unrightlessness and prepare us to join the on-going chorus of praise at your feet. In Jesus’ name.

 

Day 29

               Lord your plans are perfect and your ways are just. You knew that Your wrath would have to be poured out on Christ so that we might be able to live in His blessed atonement. You know how terrible sin is and the fact that it leads to both physical and spiritual death. Christ had to die in order to take my place to fulfill Your perfect justice. Christ also had to live a perfect, sinless life so that His sacrifice would be acceptable in Your Holy sight. The absolute nature of who You are is difficult for me to understand since I live in a world full of margins and gray areas. Thank You that Christ’s sacrifice was complete and enough for me and all who would believe. In Christ name.

 

                                                                            Day 28

               The blooming dogwood outside my door has opened its buds to reveal the beautiful white four petal bloom. God, I know that all of creation points to You and reveals You as creator God. I am also reminded that it was on a tree, perhaps even a dogwood tree, that You hung for my sin. Lord, your death was not swift and definitely not certain. At any time during this awful ordeal, You could have commanded ten thousand angels to release You and bring justice on those that nailed you to the cross. Your love and will saw not only those gathered there but the billions that were waiting in the future for a Savior for their sinful state. The beauty of such an ugly death can only come from Godly love. In Jesus name.

 

                                                                    Day 27

               God thank you for the promised return of Your Son. Lord, I know it is your intent that all should be saved from your terrible wrath and judgement for sin. I know that Easter is the only way that I can bridge the gap between a sinless God and my sinful self. God, you saw my need before you even spoke the universe into place. I have no way of understanding your unlimited mind and how you transcend time, a concept that you created. I do believe there will be a day that Christ will return and gather all those that believe on His Name. His is worthy to do this because of his perfect life, guiltless death and glorious resurrection. I wait anxiously for that day or when he might transform me through death. Glory to His Name, Amen.

 

                                                                    Day 26

               Lord, thank You for your Word that tells the story of Your Son’s life in the Gospels. I examine my life in light of the perfect life of Christ and I am humbled. I realize that all my works are as dirty rags when compare to Your Holiness. Jesus Your story is my story as well. You were hunger, you got tired, you slept, you rejoiced, you wept and you experienced the full range of emotions as any other human. However, your Word said that you went through this difficult life without sin. I can’t wrap my mind around this feat since I can hardly go through the day without slipping into sinful thoughts and ways. Your Holy Will to remain pure amazes me. Thank You that You inspired men to chronicle your life and the gospel so that Your Holy Spirit might draw all men to You. In Jesus name.

 

Day 25

               Lord as we wait for the days to pass before the Holy Week, keep us mindful of Your Holiness. The Bible says you are an unapproachable light, blinding, piercing and pure. Though You stooped in the garden to form Adam and Eve with Your own hands, because of their sin, they had separated from Your fellowship. You were not surprised by this separation and anticipated the need Your creatures would have for a Savior to span the gap between ourselves and Your Holiness. We confess we are marred by sin and live in a world slowly being destroyed by the consequences of sin. Help me to hold fast to the power of the cross, the hope I have for deliverance from my sin and death. Amen.

 

Day 24

               Be still and know that I am God, the scriptures say. So often times Lord, I confess that these words I don’t apply to my life. I excuse my lack of commitment to You because good intentions, work, helping others, being productive. I desire to do Your will but fail in the simplest step, stopping whatever I am doing and being still before You. Even when I do still myself, my mind wanders to the list of things to do, the anticipation of things to come and other distractions that might rob me of knowing You deeper and fuller. Guard my mind and heart each day so that I might be purposeful in my stillness and knowing of You as God. You know what is best for me and this instruction by Your word is key to making sure my day is complete. Thank You for Your willingness to meet with me. Amen.

 

Day 23

               Lord God, point my heart toward Easter. Help me experience the great sorrow for sin and shame that my Savior suffered even before the cross. I know from the scriptures that Jesus spoke of his coming death well before Good Friday. In the garden, Christ literally sweated blood on my behalf as He considered the great price, He would have to pay to cover my sin. How terrible the separation was when His Father turned His back on Him as He hung on the cross, experiencing the full wrath of God for my sin. Easter is most certainly about life and renewal of life, but renewal comes from death. As I experience the joy of Easter, help me to process the cost for the joy that resides in my soul. In Jesus name.