FOCUSING ON OUR LORD JESUS CHRIST

Week 5 (29 March – 4 April)

 

The following prayers are adapted from 24-7 Prayer Asia’s Passion Week Devotions.

1. PALM SUNDAY

THE SUFFERING SERVANT – Jesus’ upside-down kingdom has different values from the world.

“I tell you,” he replied, “if they keep quiet, the stones will cry out.” – Luke 19:40 ESV

 

PRAYER POINTS:

  • As Kingdom ambassadors, to be loyal, fervent and faithful, and to yearn for God’s people to be focused on restoring. God’s place on earth to come under God’s rule;
  • For a driving desire to return securely families, neighbourhoods and cities back to the “new Eden”, where God is rightly honoured and God’s people are blessed with unimpeded access to God and his gifts;
  • As peacemakers, to bring His “upside down” kingdom to come, in order that the world might see His love and glory;
  • To subvert the values of this world by imitating Christ, through love, humility and peace, just as He came first to serve and to give His life as a ransom for many.

 

JESUS DOES NOT FIT INTO MAN’S IDEA OF A KING

PRAYER:

Heavenly Father, our first step in turning “the world upside down so as to be right side up” – is the bold and winsome proclamation of the gospel of Jesus Christ. By Your Holy Spirit, strengthen us to love our enemies, do good to those who hate us, and grant us the empowering grace to even offer our other cheek when struck. In Jesus’ name we pray, AMEN. 

 

2. HOLY MONDAY

IN SPIRIT AND TRUTH  – God seeks true worshippers.

When Jesus entered the temple courts, he began to drive out those who were selling. “It is written,” he said to them, “‘My house will be a house of prayer’; but you have made it ‘a den of robbers.’” – Luke 19:45-46 ESV

 

PRAYER POINTS:

  • To reveal true worship by our very actions, honest behaviour and sincere love for God;
  • To love God, our church family, our neighbours and our enemies by showing our love for them through action and prayer;
  • Not to pass judgment on one another, nor be a stumbling block or hindrance to a person who may be offended by our eating or drinking or clothing;
  • For Churches to hunger to see a refreshing move of the Holy Spirit, that congregations will be restored to lives of faith and obedience and overcome lukewarm traditions.
  • To be strengthened in spiritual disciplines of prayer, Word and giving – as we prepare for the visitation of the Holy Spirit.

 

BE HOLY AS GOD IS HOLY

PRAYER:

Holy Father, may we be found to be living out authentic faith as living sacrifices, imitating Christ in love, faith and prayer that others may see our works and glorify You. By Your Holy Spirit, fill us that we may be perfect as You are perfect. In Jesus’ name, AMEN.

 

3. HOLY TUESDAY

UNDIVIDED LOYALTY – The poor are the rich.

Jesus looked up and saw the rich putting their gifts into the offering box, and he saw a poor widow put in two small copper coins. And he said, “Truly, I tell you, this poor widow has put in more than all of them. For they all contributed out of their abundance, but she out of her poverty put in all she had to live on.” – Luke 21:1-4 ESV

 

PRAYER POINTS:

  • To live out in undivided loyalty to God as our first love, and not be anxious about our needs, but trust Him wholeheartedly to provide for us;
  • To be good stewards of the abundance that He has prospered us for His kingdom purposes;
  • To be cheerful givers and provide generously for those who have been hit hard by the pandemic, even when we ourselves are also such hard hit victims;
  • To learn to walk by faith and not by sight.

 

PRAYER:

Heavenly Father, forgive us for our divided loyalties and our lack of faith. Forgive us for not recognising the gifts of the poor who give out of all they have, but fawn over the rich in their giving. Teach us to reach out in generosity just as You have lavished upon us and have never withheld from us all that is good.

Give us an undivided heart, a single eye, and ready hands to work for Your Kingdom to come as faithful citizens of Your Kingdom. In Jesus’ name we pray, AMEN.

 

4. HOLY WEDNESDAY

DEATH TO AMBITION – The greatest is the one who serves.

And he said to them, “The kings of the Gentiles exercise lordship over them, and those in authority over them are called benefactors. But not so with you. Rather, let the greatest among you become as the youngest, and the leader as one who serves.” – Luke 22:25-26 ESV

 

PRAYER POINTS:

  • To imitate Christ’s servant heart in His obedience, humility and loveliness;
  • To be constantly reminded of our position as beloved children saved by Heavenly Father’s marvellous grace through the sacrifice of our Lord Jesus Christ, who is our Lord, Brother and Friend;
  • To abide in Christ for without Him, we can do nothing, and achieve nothing as the branch needs the Vine;
  • To know that we do not need to strive for recognition based on this temporal world’s corrupted values to propel ourselves to be famous or to be known, but to rest in faith we have already gained everything in Christ.

 

PRAYER:

Heavenly Father, in this temporal world where we are taught to fight for what is rightfully ours, help us to remember that we already have everything that we need. In this materialistic world where ambition and success are the currencies of virtue and greatness, help us to remember that we have already gained everything there is to gain of eternal worth. You have lavished upon us and have not withheld anything from us, but we have everything there is to inherit because of Jesus Christ. AMEN.

 

5. MAUNDY THURSDAY

TO BECOME PERFECTLY ONE – Being one pleases God.

“The glory that you have given me I have given to them, that they may be one even as we are one, I in them and you in me, that they may become perfectly one, so that the world may know that you sent me and loved them even as you loved me.” – John 17:22-23 ESV

 

PRAYER POINTS:

  • To glorify God on earth and to accomplish the work that our Lord Jesus has given us to do, following in His footsteps, just as He too glorified God our Father on earth, and accomplished the work that He was given to do;
  • To ask for strength, wisdom and endurance as we live missionally because the world hates us just as they hated Jesus. Pray for protection from the evil one;
  • To be peacemakers, identified as “sons and daughters of God” – ever striving to bring God’s people together to become perfectly one, so that the world may know that God has sent Jesus and thereby experience the love of God.
  • To love one another in genuine and authentic love that all can see our unity in Christ.

 

PRAYER:

Heavenly Father, You did not create us to be homogenous and uniform, but to be beautifully colourful and diverse. Restore us to Your Garden of Eden, where each flower, each leaf and each snowflake has Your unique imprint. Bind us together in Your love as we prepare to celebrate the assembling of thousands of peoples, tribes and languages as one in Christ. AMEN.

 

6. GOOD FRIDAY

TO LIVE IS TO DIE TO SELF – Meekness is power, temporary defeat brings permanent glory.

When Jesus had received the sour wine, he said, “It is finished,” and he bowed his head and gave up his spirit. – John 19:30 ESV

 

PRAYER POINTS:

  • Christ died for us motivated by one thing: LOVE. Pray for authentic love from our hearts for others, for lost souls, and love as Jesus loved;
  • Pray that we may be so deeply attached to Jesus Christ, and so deeply abiding in Him, that we can truly say we died with Him, and now Christ lives in us;
  • Pray to live out our lives by faith in full surrender to the Son of God, knowing that He, who loves us and gave Himself for us, walked this earthly path before and has our best interests at heart;
  • In everything that we do – we may have the mind of Christ and possess the heart of Christ, centrally motivated by love.

 

PRAYER:

Heavenly Father, on this Good Friday, we remember the suffering our Lord Jesus went through to save us. Give us courage so that now as always, Christ will be exalted in our bodies, whether by life or by death. That we may say with deep conviction, “For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain,” and at the end of our journey, to be able to say, “It is finished.” AMEN. 

 

7. EASTER SATURDAY

THINGS ARE NOT AS THEY SEEM – God’s silence does not mean His absence.

So they went and made the tomb secure by sealing the stone and setting a guard. – Matthew 27:66 ESV

 

PRAYER POINTS:

  • For faith to rest in God’s sovereign power and on His promises for we know He is in control of the nations;
  • Not to be anxious when we see God’s enemies winning because we know that God is at work;
  • To learn to be still and endure patiently, trusting God that He will restore all things new in His time, even as things appear otherwise;
  • To be His ready vessels ready to do His will and bring His kingdom come.

 

PRAYER:

Heavenly Father, on this Easter Saturday, we are reminded of the silence, the sorrow and the pain of separation. The pain of separation from the love and presence of our Lord Jesus over those 2 days must have been so hard to bear for the disciples.

We know that ultimately, Your desire is to strengthen us and purify us so that by the testing of our faith, we may be found to be refined gold. Teach us to trust You when we don’t hear You and when we don’t understand. Teach us to be still and learn to wait on Your timing, resting in You.

Please help us when we struggle in affliction and doubt. Teach us to victoriously abide in You and trust in Your unfailing love. AMEN.

 

8. EASTER SUNDAY

JESUS HAS RISEN – The climactic victory in the heavenly realm!

He said to them, “Why are you troubled, and why do doubts rise in your minds? Look at my hands and my feet. It is I myself! Touch me and see; a ghost does not have flesh and bones, as you see I have.” When he had said this, he showed them his hands and feet. And while they still did not believe it because of joy and amazement, he asked them, “Do you have anything here to eat?” They gave him a piece of broiled fish, and he took it and ate it in their presence. – Luke 24:38-43 ESV

 

CHRIST IS RISEN, CHRIST IS RISEN INDEED!

PRAYER POINTS:

  • Give thanks for the victory of the cross! Give thanks that we have a faith that rests on a risen Saviour who will return to rule. We long for the day of final victory when Christ returns for us and restores a new heaven and a new earth, and there will be no more tears and suffering, but plenty of rejoicing.
  • Worship our Lord Jesus Christ, for God has highly exalted Him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

 

PRAYER:

Heavenly Father, we give You praise for this most pivotal and climactic moment in the history of the world! Thank You, Lord, for all that You have done in defeating sin and death. It is a finished work!

Today, we celebrate and rest in the knowledge of the love of our Lord Jesus Christ for us, who humbled Himself and gave up everything for our sakes. May we too live out our lives as living sacrifices, imitating our Lord Jesus Christ. AMEN.

 

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