Source: http://rlprayerbulletin.blogspot.com/
Date: April 5, 2023
Religious Liberty Prayer Bulletin | RLPB 688
EASTER 2023: PRAYING IN THE LIGHT OF THE CROSS
by Elizabeth Kendal
What is humanity’s greatest problem? Our problem is sin, the consequence of which is death. How did God deal with it? He dealt with it by sending his Son – the Logos (Word), the second person of the Trinity, Jesus Christ – to live the life we could not live and die the death we deserved. In full humility Jesus Christ surrendered himself to be devoured by evil. On the cross he shed his perfect blood by which we are covered, forgiven and saved. From the grave he defeated death and rose again, demonstrating that all who are covered by the blood of the Lamb will follow Christ to eternal life. Through this the cross – an instrument of torture and execution – is itself redeemed. Today, crosses adorn necks and crown steeples around the world as a symbol of life and amazing grace.
As the great theologian Martin Luther realised, the cross is far more than an historic event: Friday through Sunday; crucifixion through resurrection. The cross is even more than what it achieved: forgiveness, atonement, salvation. The cross is revelation: that is, it reveals something of what God is like and how God works.
The cross reveals that the God of the Bible is not remote or disengaged. On the contrary, the God of the Bible is the God who comes, who inserts himself right into our problem so he might subvert evil, defeat it from within and redeem it by working it for good in fulfilment of promise.
The cross shows us that things are not always as they appear. Even when it appears that darkness and confusion reign, that God is dead and the world has won, and that the situation is out of control and utterly hopeless – it is not! For deep in the darkness, God is there, doing his work: saving his people, subverting evil and redeeming it for good in fulfilment of promise. It is imperative that we grasp this truth – embrace it and pray in the light of it.
Dear Intercessor,
Do not be discouraged. It can be very difficult to be constantly peering into darkness and chaos to witness endless suffering and injustice. Satan wants us to give up! We must not! Our Heavenly Father calls us to pray. Christ’s beloved Church needs us to pray. The Holy Spirit, who is with and in the Church, will help us pray! By faith we know that God hears and answers our prayers. God is shaking the world to bring down all that is false – all lies that lead to death; so that HE alone – the God of truth, grace and life – will be exalted (Isaiah 2:6-21). This is mercy; this is grace! We must not be discouraged by what we see; for behind the scenes, God is at work just as he was through that first Easter in Jerusalem! Pray, dear intercessor, in the light of the cross: with hope energised by faith . . . for ‘Sunday’ is coming!
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REMINDER
RAMADAN: 18 March to 18 April 2023. Recommended: 30 Days of Prayer for the Muslim World https://30daysprayer.com