My friend Mark Wilson has a blog for pastors in small and rural communities called Revitalize Your Church. This week he shared a great article for Holy Week on praying the seven last words of Christ.
Here is an excerpt:
It is significant that Jesus prayed from the cross. Here he was, experiencing the worst torture a human being can endure, and through it all – he prayed.
Most of us, in that moment of anguish, would succumb to the suffering, and our prayers would be diminished to one word: “Help!” Looking back upon the worst moments of my life, I’d have to say “Help!” is the most sincere prayer I’ve ever uttered.
Yet, Jesus went beyond a prayer for help at Golgotha. His prayers from the cross reveal the intensity of his pain – yet, a deep love pouring from his heart. Instead of being consumed with himself, he turned his focus to God and others.
The old adage states, “We all have our cross to bear.” In our moments of anguish, we can look to Jesus, and see how he responded in his darkest valley. A review of Good Friday events shows that Jesus did three things:
1) He pressed into prayer.
2) He poured out love.
3) He surrendered all to God.What an example for us! In deep sorrow and suffering, we, too, can press into prayer, pour out love, and surrender all to God.
The prayers of Christ from the cross serve as an excellent model for our praying during this holy week…
Click to read more from praying the seven last words of Christ, where Mark shares thoughts on each of Jesus’ seven last words. This is a great model for prayer not just for Holy Week, but any time.
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