Meditating Luke 22-24 (Jan 12)

Be Obedient & Forgiving

Luke provides a full account of
the arrest, trial and crucifixion of
the Son of Man. He describes the
plot of Judas, the warm fellowship
of the Last Supper, the mental
anguish at Gethsemane, the tragic
denial by Peter, the miscarriage
of justice at the trials & the brutal
agony of the Roman execution.
But the dark days give way to
the first Easter morning when
angels announce: He’s risen.

Lord, thank You for Luke’s account
of Your arrest, trial, crucifixion and
resurrection that show obedience
to Father’s will & deep love for us.
Lead us choose the Father’s will;
for to love You is to Obey You.
Help us Forgive others and not
focus whether they deserve it. And
Fill us with Your Power so that we
can be effective witnesses of You.
In Jesus’ precious name, Amen.

Lord Jesus, help us to Obey You:
Father if You are willing, please take
this cup of suffering away from me.
Yet I want Your will, not mine. Then
an angel appeared & strengthened
Him. He prayed more fervently and
He was in such agony of spirit that
His sweat fell to the ground like
great drops of blood (Lk 22:41-44)
Lord, Thanks for following Father’s
wishes that night at Gethsemane.
Help me Lord Jesus to choose
the Father’s will in my life as well.
Lord, just as we share in Your joy,
we may sometimes need to be
reminded to share in suffering; for
Your plan for me may not be easy.
And help me remember that to
love you is to obey you. Amen.

Lord, help us to Forgive others:
There were…two others, criminals,
led with him to be put to death.
And when they had come to the
place called Calvary, there they
crucified Him, and the criminals,
one on the right hand and the
other on the left. Then Jesus said:
Father, forgive them for they
do not know what they are doing.
And they divided up his clothes
by casting lots (Luke 23:32-34).
Lord, You are simply praiseworthy,
willingly forgiving the unforgivable.
Help me to a forgiving person and
to forgive others the way You do.
For I can’t forgive the unthinkable
without You enabling me to do so.
Help me take focus off whether
people deserve to be forgiven and
focus to be more like You. Amen.

Lord, Fill us with Your Power:
Then Jesus said: It was necessary
for the Christ to suffer and to rise
from the dead the third day, and that
repentance and remission of sins
should be preached…And you are
witnesses of these things. Now
I will send the Holy Spirit, just as
my Father promised. But stay here…
until the Holy Spirit comes and fills
you with power (Luke 24:46-49).
Lord Jesus, thank you for the
promise of empowerment of the
Spirit to be Your effective witness.
Holy Spirit, thank You for indwelling
and for filling me with Your power.
Lord, let my prayers be pleasing to
You as your Spirit leads me to pray
in light of Your promises. Amen.