A Prayer about Silent Saturday

by Elizabeth | Apr 7, 2023 | Daily Prayer, Death and Resurrection, Easter, Lent

A Prayer about Silent Saturday

He will wipe every tear from their eyes, and there will be no more death or sorrow or crying or pain. All these things are gone forever. Revelation 21:4

Heavenly Father,

It’s the Saturday before Easter,

the day Christians historically call “Silent Saturday.”

That first Saturday after Jesus died

would have been silent indeed;

not only was it the Sabbath,

but for all who loved and followed Jesus,

it was a day of confusion, doubt, and deep grief.

Unlike us, they didn’t know what would happen on Sunday.

Father, on what may be a busy Saturday

for many of us,

as we take kids to Easter egg hunts

or run to the grocery store

for last-minute brunch items,

I pray we will take time to be silent,

to remember how tragic our story would have been

if this story had ended on Saturday.

I pray that we will also remember those

who are walking in seasons of Silent Saturdays,

days of dark grief and devastating sorrow.

Even as we remember,

may we glimpse the rays of resurrection hope

rising to crowd out the darkness.

Even as we remember,

may we look forward to the day

of no more mourning, no more sorrow, no more tears (Revelation 21:4).

In Jesus’ hopeful name. Amen.

Read Matthew 27:62-66; Revelation 21:1-5.

Note: This prayer is based on my Holy Week devotional, The Gospel Day-by-Day. Get your Holy Week devotional e-book free now. Link in profile or copy/paste link into browser: http://eepurl.com/b__teX.’

A Prayer about the Good in Good Friday

by Elizabeth | Apr 6, 2023 | Daily Prayer, Death and Resurrection, Easter, Lent

A Prayer about the Good in Good Friday

‘My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?’ Matthew 27:46.

Tear-wiping God,

Many people have asked through the years,

“How can we call it ‘Good Friday’

when it’s the day our Savior died?”

In the same way, grieving friends may ask

if there is anything good in these days,

the days of shootings, sickness, war, and death.

Your answer to why Good Friday is good

is your answer to all who mourn

and to all who hate the brutality of sin and death.

The Good in Good Friday comes from you,

the through-and-through good Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.

Yes, Jesus was wrongly convicted in a mock trial.

Yes, Jesus was beaten and bloodied by Roman soldiers.

Yes, Jesus was mocked by many who previously praised him.

Yes, Jesus was subjected to the brutal death of crucifixion.

But God. But through it all, you were in control.

Through it all, you were carrying out the plan

that you, the triune God made from the beginning of time.

It was a good plan.

It was the only plan that could finally and forever

restore your people to you.

And in the moment that Jesus cried from the cross,

“It is finished,”

it became a completed plan.

You had won victory over sin and death,

and just three short days later,

the “Son of Righteousness” would rise

with “healing in [his] wings” (Malachi 4:2).

Yes, it’s Friday, but Sunday’s coming.

In the worst of our days on this earth,

may we never forget the great hope of Good Friday.

In Jesus’ victorious name. Amen.

Read Matthew 26:57-65; Matthew 27:1-61.

Note: This prayer is based on my Holy Week devotional, The Gospel Day-by-Day. Get your Holy Week devotional e-book free now. Link in profile or copy/paste link into browser: http://eepurl.com/b__teX.

A Prayer about God’s Silence

by Elizabeth | Apr 5, 2023 | Daily Prayer, Easter, Lent

A Prayer about God’s Silence

‘Father, if you are willing, remove this cup from me. Nevertheless, not my will, but yours be done.’ Luke 22:42

Father God,

As we walk with Jesus through Holy Week,

as we kneel with him

while he washes his disciples’ feet,

as we listen to him

give the new commandment

to love one another as he has loved them (John 13:34),

may we also stay awake with him

in the garden as he agonizes in prayer.

As we watch and listen with Jesus,

may we notice that no answer comes to his prayer.

You do not speak.

You do not send an angel.

You are silent in Jesus’ moment of agony.

And may your silence speak

into every empty space

we have ever known in our prayers.

When we beg you for years

to bring our child home

and she just seems to wander farther away from you.

When we urge you for decades to heal our chronic pain,

and it lingers, weakening us and making us irritable.

When we plead with you daily to free us from addiction,

but the craving still strikes out of the blue.

In your silence to Jesus

may we hear your whispered response

to every prayer that hangs in the balance:

I abandoned my Son to the cross for you (Psalm 22:1-2).

I sent my Son to take on your punishment and your pain (Romans 3:25-26).

I sentenced my Son to death that you might be raised to new life.

I am your beloved, and you are mine (Song of Solomon 2:16).

As we remember these answers to prayers we did not pray,

may we draw near to the throne of grace

and find mercy to help in time of need (Hebrews 4:16).

In Jesus’ suffering name. Amen.

Read Luke 22:39-46; Psalm 22:1-2; Romans 3:25-26; Song of Solomon 2:16; Hebrews 4:16.

Note: This prayer is based on my Holy Week devotional, The Gospel Day-by-Day. Get your Holy Week devotional e-book free now. Link in profile or copy/paste link into browser: http://eepurl.com/b__teX.

A Prayer about the Hope of the Cross

by Elizabeth | Apr 4, 2023 | Daily Prayer, Death and Resurrection, Easter, Lent

A Prayer about the Hope of the Cross

Then one of the twelve, whose name was Judas Iscariot, went to the chief priests and said, ‘What will you give me if I deliver him over to you?’ And they paid him thirty shekels of silver. Matthew 26:14-15

Merciful Father,

This scene ranks right up there

as one of the saddest moments in all of Scripture.

Judas, disgusted with Jesus’ mercy,

makes his final decision to betray Jesus,

and for a pittance.

While it’s tempting to point fingers at Judas and ask,

“How could he,”

we must also look in the mirror and see

our own betrayal of you, of Jesus,

our rebellious hearts that Jesus died to restore.

Even as we see the darkness of our own sin,

may we step back and survey the wondrous cross

on which our Prince of Glory died.

May we truly comprehend

the depth and breadth of your love for us

and your complete forgiveness of our sins.

As we do, may we fall at your feet to worship as Mary did,

extravagantly and spectacularly.

In Jesus’ loyal name.

Read Matthew 26:6-16.

Note: This prayer is based on my Holy Week devotional, The Gospel Day-by-Day. Get your Holy Week devotional e-book free now. Link in profile or copy/paste link into browser: http://eepurl.com/b__teX.

A Prayer about Perfect Peace

by Elizabeth | Apr 1, 2023 | Daily Prayer, Easter, Lent

A Prayer about Perfect Peace

Jesus said to them again, ‘Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, even so I am sending you.’

John 20:21

Heavenly Father,

Even as Holy Week begins,

may we remember its conclusion.

In the days leading up to his death,

Jesus suffered physical, mental, and emotional pain.

And yet, he always remained at peace,

because he knew he had been sent by you to complete a mission—

to bring your people back to your loving embrace.

Now, we your people carry on that mission.

And sometimes we too will suffer physical, mental, and emotional pain.

When we do,

may we remember Christ’s words

and know his profound comfort:

‘Peace be with you.’

In Jesus’ peace-bringing name. Amen.

Read John 20:19-23.