Good Friday

1 Peter 2:24

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The Lenten Prayer of St. Ephrem

This is a beautiful prayer for Lent.

Holy Week Prayer

Holy Week is such a wonderful time for us to take time to really focus on our relationship with our Lord and Savior who was crucified for us.

Isaiah 50:4-5

The Lord God has given me
    the tongue of those who are taught,
that I may know how to sustain with a word
    him who is weary.
Morning by morning he awakens;
    he awakens my ear
    to hear as those who are taught.
5 The Lord God has opened my ear,
    and I was not rebellious;
    I turned not backward.

These two verses provide us with words that can be a beautiful and powerful prayer for us to use during Holy Week. “As those who are taught” – in order to be taught, you have to be fully engaged. Learning doesn’t just happen. It requires us to be intentional. We have to listen to what is taught in such a way that we can do more than hear the words. We have to think about and process the information. May we be willing to be taught by the Lord this week.

“The Lord has opened my ear” – in order to learn things of a spiritual nature, you have to have your ears opened by the Lord. As followers of Christ, the Holy Spirit that dwells within us will help us to hear what the Lord has to say to us.

1 Kings 19:11-12

11 And he said, “Go out and stand on the mount before the Lord.” And behold, the Lord passed by, and a great and strong wind tore the mountains and broke in pieces the rocks before the Lord, but the Lord was not in the wind. And after the wind an earthquake, but the Lord was not in the earthquake.12 And after the earthquake a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire. And after the fire the sound of a low whisper.

The Lord was not in the wind, earthquake or fire; He was in the low whisper. In order to hear a low whisper, you have to be quiet and really be listening. How much time do you spend in quiet before the Lord? If we don’t allow ourselves to sit quietly before the Lord, we won’t know what He has to say to us. Make some time to sit quietly before the Lord during Holy Week and hear what He wants to speak to you.

“Morning by morning he awakens; he awakens my ear to hear as those who are taught.” Allow yourself to spend time with the Lord every morning this week. If you wake up a little early, take advantage of that time. Instead of hitting the snooze button on your alarm, spend that time with the Lord. 

“The Lord God has opened my ear, and I was not rebellious; I turned not backward.” When the Lord speaks to you, do not be rebellious or turn backwards. Many times the Lord speaks to us about our sinfulness. Allow Him to show you were you are not walking in His ways so you can seek His forgiveness and repent. Holy Week is the perfect time for us to ask the Lord to reveal our wretchedness to us in comparison to His holiness. If we allow Him to show us our sinfulness, we will more fully appreciate what Jesus did on Good Friday and be able to celebrate more fully on Easter Sunday.

• Photo by lamnee from http://www.freedigitalphotos.net
• Scripture from http://www.biblegateway.com