God Himself authored annual remembrances. He taught His people from the early pages of Scripture to set aside specific days to deliberately recall His mighty acts. He warned them passionately never to forget what He had done in their behalf and to fear the prospect so vividly that their memories would be sharpened ever again like the blade of a warrior’s sword. For most of us who have been raised in the church and know the hymns and songs of this season by heart, we make the choice to set our hearts and minds once again on the saving, death-defeating acts of Jesus Christ. We ask God to do through His Spirit what only He can do:
Our faithful Abba Father, cause the looming shadow of the Cross to fall afresh on us again. Let us remember with horror how dark our lives would be without the Christ. Roll the heavy stone of our slumbering familiarity away from the empty tomb and wake us up with a shout.
And He hears our prayer.
I awakened this morning to an empty house, my man away for the better part of the day and, early on, I felt the Spirit begin to answer the petition I’d made yesterday. Lord, help me to remember. Move me once again with the power of the Cross.
God reminded me of a portion in the 27th chapter of Acts when the Apostle Paul and 275 others were aboard a ship in a terrible storm that had raged for many days. We know that, of his cohorts, at least Luke was with him, the ink of his pen filled with brine. Read Acts 27:33-36 for yourself.
Just before dawn Paul urged them all to eat. “For the last fourteen days,” he said, “you have been in constant suspense and have gone without food—you haven’t eaten anything. Now I urge you to take some food. You need it to survive. Not one of you will lose a single hair from his head.” After he said this, he took some bread and gave thanks to God in front of them all. Then he broke it and began to eat. They were all encouraged and ate some food themselves.
Look at that last portion once more:
He took some bread and gave thanks to God…Then he broke it.
Read words from the page of the gospel written earlier by the very same man who penned the Book of Acts:
When the hour came, Jesus and His apostles reclined at the table. And He said to them, “I have eagerly desired to eat this Passover with you before I suffer. For I tell you, I will not eat it again until it finds fulfillment in the kingdom of God.” After taking the cup, He gave thanks and said, “Take this and divide it among you. For I tell you I will not drink again from the fruit of the vine until the kingdom of God comes.”
And He took bread, gave thanks and broke it, and gave it to them, saying, “This is my body given for you; do this in remembrance of me.” Luke 22:14-19
Took bread. Gave thanks, Broke it.
Same words. Same order.
Back to Acts 27.
In the New International Commentary on the New Testament, F. F. Bruce writes…
There is a cluster of words and phrases here – “took bread,” “gave thanks,” “broke it” – which are familiar in a eucharistic setting. This supports the view of many commentators that the meal here described [in Acts 27] was a eucharistic meal. Probably it was so in a limited sense: all shared the food, but to the majority it was an ordinary meal, while for those who ate with eucharistic intention (Paul and his fellow-Christians) it was a valid eucharist: “the bread which we break, is it not our participation in the body of Christ?” (1 Corinthians 10:16)
To the majority it was an ordinary meal.
To the majority of people on Planet Earth today, this is an ordinary day. Malls will keep humming, Facebook will keep friending, Twitter will keep tweeting, planes will keep flying, tellers will keep telling, businesses will keep selling.
But for those of us who “eat” of this day with Eucharistic intention, and think deliberate thoughts toward a crucified Christ, ours is a valid feast of remembrance.
While others eat this day away like it’s any other day, we savor its bittersweet taste and call it sacred.
Maybe you have long been in a storm with no sun in sight. Right there in all the tossing, surrounded even by those who may ignore Him or mock Him, draw from the Body and the Blood. Let today, even in your pain, be sacred to you and any brokenness, your living sacrifice, and may the heavens open wide with the thundering power of the Cross and drench you with the rain of your long-awaited deliverance.
Do this in remembrance of Me.
Because of the Cross of Christ, Not one of you will lose a single hair from his head.
The Lord will rescue me from every evil attack and will bring me safely to His heavenly kingdom. To Him be glory for ever and ever. Amen. 2 Timothy 4:18
This is a prayer I wrote this morning. For me, reading the prayers of others sometimes reminds me of something I, too, want to ask of my Father. We are all His children. We who are in Christ are each invited to “the Throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.” I am in need. You are in need. If any of this speaks to the place you are right now, you are welcome to come right here with me and kneel as one who believes and we’ll bring these petitions to our faithful God together.
My Dearest Abba and my Savior and Redeemer, Jesus,
Cause me to be moved and mindful of this death and resurrection season – Of this, the most important annual celebration we commemorate as Your church. Cause me to be awake and aware in You, Lord. I am so grateful for the sacrifice of this One spotless Lamb of God. For just a moment, I try to imagine myself on that same road of suffering with that same cross on my flesh-torn back, pierced, hung, and exposed on that same tree and I shudder. My sins outweigh my frame, Lord. I am unable to bear them. Thank You, Jesus, for not only bearing the pain but for enduring the shame. You are the single reason I am not weighed down in the suffocating mire of shame every single day of my life. I earned it. I deserved it. I am so grateful, Abba Father, for Your willingness to will and to witness that soul-saving, Hell-defeating act rendered by Your one and only Son. I praise You, faithful, merciful God, and ask to be moved this weekend with meditation, reflection, fresh wonder and renewed victory.
Please pursue each member of my family and me for the full work and benefit of Your Cross and Your resurrection. Please do not yield to our resistance. Appear unmistakably in every place we run. Walk through every door we slam. No addiction need hold us, no affliction need bind us, no suffering need smother us, no defeat need hover over us, no foolish act need define us and death need not haunt us. In the quake of the Cross, hopelessness slipped through the trembling cracks of earth and fell with an everlasting sentence into the bottomless abyss. Graves broke open and the bonds of the guilty fell from their wrists with a breath-taking thud. Because of this day that we, Your church, commemorate, we are free.
We are grateful.
We are aware.
In the saving Name of Jesus Christ,
Amen.
What a beautiful tribute to our Savior… this is my 40th Easter and I feel His sacrifice and the depth of His gift more and more every year.
Beth,
God has not let go of me and I’m so so thankful. He reminded me of this very thing, just this morning, in the early hours. When I choose to not spend time with Him, He is still right there, waiting. I’m so grateful! Thank you for sharing this with us, today. Once again, I am so grateful.
With love,
Yolanda
Thank you for this post. I often take for granite what Christ has done for me (us). I don’t dwell on it enough at times. But today you have brought it to my attention and I thank you for that. I knelt and prayed your prayer.
Awaken my spirit Lord that I might truely know you and your suffering.
Amen and amen! Went to a service Thursday night for the passion of Christ. Went again last night and found myself at the foot of the cross; remembering, reflecting, repenting, weeping. I imagined what it must have been like for this who were there. They didn’t know Easter Sunday was coming. Oh how I praise Him for His unselfish act of love and grace! How I praise Him for loving me; yes, even me! My only response – to love the Lord my God with all of my heart, all of my soul and all of my might and to love my fellow man as I love myself. Only by the power of a Spirit filled, Spirit led life could I do such a thing. Help me, Lord.
My Gracious Kinsman Redeemer and Savior King Jesus,
As I kneel at the cross, the one I deserve, I thank you for unmeasurable and unconditional love. As I humble myself before You, I ask that the redemptive blood would fall afresh on me. Cover me completely, Lord, with your grace, love, and mercy. Change me I pray, Dear Father, so that I will be forever changed with enough grace and love to pour out among all of your children.
Let me never forget…. Let me never forget! Help me to run my race with great determination, forgetting the sin that so easily trips me up and forever keeping my eyes on the prize, King Jesus, the Author, Perfector, and the Finisher of my faith!! You are more than enough!!! I’m hanging on because I know Resurrection Sunday is coming!!! I’m praying and believing for the Resurrection in my siblings’ lives. Free from addiction, free from oppression, depression. Turn any judgment I have into gentleness. Turn my condemnation into compassion. Turn my legalism into love. I know in due season there will be a great harvest and we will come rejoicing!
Thank You, God. I dedicate myself afresh and anew to You. Help me be Your hands and feet. Help me represent You well as I present You to a broken world desperate for Hope, needful of a Savior. I pray all of this in the name that is above every name!!! I pray it in the Sweet and Loving name of Jesus the Christ!!! The RISEN LORD!!!
Roxanne, your prayer ministered to me and we are kindred spirits in praying for our families.
Blessings to you,
Patti Hayes
Roxanne,
Thank you for sharing this prayer. So often I find that its much easier to be judgmental then gentle, or be condemning rather than full of compassion (or even 1/2 full!.Its so important to remember that our time here is so short. Our prayers for our families and friends are so very important.
Thank you so much for the reminder – of something I already know – but something that you’ve reminded me of again today.
Together we pray….. because soon we will live together in heaven forever!!!
Laurie
What a timely word this posting is – like a cool salve of the Spirit to my own spirit during a time I feel like I’ve slowly roasted over an open fire of trails. Even when I am in the crucible, my God is faithful, providing for my every spiritual, emotional and physical need. That I am so loved, so cherished that the very Son of God would submit to the cruelest of tortures, beatings so marring that no one would recognize him, that he suffered the separation between himself and his Father so I would not be eternally separated, is enough to bring me to my knees, and then to my face.
Let me share one instance this week in which God reached down and touched me, let me know that He sees everything, and that his hand is upon me. One morning this week, I was listening to Esther – and for some reason, I picked the 8th session. I wasn’t surprised when I heard you – Beth, speaking about fighting the good fight. Not to lose heart, not to succumb to the pressures of a very secular career where the pursuit of the almighty dollar is the religion of the powerful men I work for, is a fight for me. It is like walking into the gladiator ring where there are all sorts of sharp toothed beasties waiting to devour me. And that particular morning, I had no fight left. I had already been on my face letting God know what he already knew – I didn’t have it in me to face another day of overwork, stress and the demands of men who would work me until I drop.
In the minutes before the closing prayer of the session, Beth, I heard you say “Kelly, fight the good fight”. My hand holding my mascara wand froze halfway towards my lashes. Kelly? That’s my name! I dropped my mascara, rushed to my ipod and preceded to replay that section just about twenty times to make sure I wasn’t mistaken. I wasn’t. Just to make doubly sure, I played the same section in my car. And, it was even clearer through my car speakers. Though you had been speaking to someone else who shares my name years ago, God was speaking to me through you the very moment I needed him the most. Funny thing, I have listened to that session repeatedly before, but it was one morning last week that I finally heard it.
All praise, all honor, all glory all worship to the Lion of the Tribe of Judah, the great I AM, the Ancient of Days, the Comforter and Teacher – the Three Personal God, I will praise your name forever – on this earth until my dying breath and in eternity with the Saints and the Hosts of Heaven.
Kelly,
What a great testimony!! HE knows your name, dear Siesta! He knows every hair on your head!! Hallelujah!!! So glad you had ears to hear!!
Blessings in abundance!
What a Savior! Hallelujah! Amen!!
Kneeling with you Beth………..
I needed to read this today. My husband and I were just talking about God telling His people to remember what he had done for them. The Lord asks us to remember all that he has done for us, and I know for myself that I have a hard time doing this. I know He was born and I celebrate that. I know He was resurrected and I celebrate that. What I need to learn to remember is when, in my life, He took me out of hopeless situations and turned them around. When the next time some “thing” comes around I will remember what God did for me before and say, it’s already taken care of. I know that is so silly to say, but when troubles come, I need to remind myself that God is so good. I need to place an altar in my mind of what He has done, so that I can remember Him when looking at my future.
Dearest Beth–Thank You. Your ability to write so eloquently and completely to capture my every prayer and thought-MY HEART-blesses me beyond belief! I thank Our God for You!!
Praising the Lord as I remember His act of love on my behalf~ on the worlds behalf! I bow down and give thanks and praise. When my family eats our Easter meal we will be deliberate about breaking bread, and giving thanks “…Do this in remembrance of Me.” AMEN
CHRIST LIVES! and we are free, Siestas!!!
Happy Easter, Everyone.
Lord, I long to be a wife, mom, and friend that lives her life seeing what you did on the Cross for me in a fresh, new, way. I want it branded on my heart like never before. I want it to permeate the smile on my face, my hope in my heart,. I am so guilty of walking around in my life, feeling my feelings of pain from lifes hurts, or happenings. Sometimes I feel the defeat of my addictions, or I get consumed with troubles or worries. It’s as though I live, like you did not die on the cross for me! Lord, this weekend….I know that you are inviting me to take a hold of your hand and go for a walk. Hand in hand with you Father, I will walk up to that hill, and sit before the cross that you died on. I will sit there with you and take it all in. I am ready for you to do a new thing in my heart. Thank you Father for loving me . You have taken hold of my hand…..you are leading me up the hill …and my heart is ready to hear you speak today as I sit there with you, under the cross, on blood stained ground.
Barby,
I pray that God will help you in all areas in your life.
You might try reading Get out of that pit By Beth Moore or you can read Battle Field of the Mind by Joyce Meyer. I am reading that currently. I think it would be a huge help to you. They teach you how to control what you are thinking. It is really neat.
May God Bless you today and everyday.
Jackie
Dear Beth,
I had been driving God crazy for the past few months asking Him why could the people only reach Him through the Mercy Seat. He had spoken to Moses and walked with Adam and Eve. He had His angels appear throughout the Bible. Then, He has a temple built and only speaks to some through the Veil. That Mercy Seat caused me so much concern. Why was it behind that Veil, why was it made of Gold, why were the angels there arranged like that. God is just so precious to me. I had attended your conference in Little Rock and was watching you on Wednesdays With Beth. And there was my answer. I just cried after the show because He answered me. I could have seen that show earlier, but He knows I struggle with being patient. The show was an answered prayer. God has done that so often in just that same way; you would think by now I would have learned to rest in Him!
Oh my…..I needed to hear that. Good, timely words!
Heart is full!!
Gratitude is great!!!
Our Savior Reigns!!!
Thank you for your thoughts and prayers!
Glory to God!!!!
Wow. Thank you soooooooooo much. ♥
Thank you for those much needed and appreciated words! As I spoke them on my knees, my heart was for my family. May the Spirit pursue as you mentioned, every slammed door, every denial on our part. As we break bread this weekend especially, may we give thanks and eat with renewed spiritual energy, not only for ourselves, but for those precious individuals God gave us to love and nurture. Happy Easter, beloved in the Lord!
Thank you, Beth. What a beautiful benediction on this day. I too am alone with husband gone for the day…and savoring the blessedness of it.
My knees still imprinted with the grooves of my hardwoods – praying in eternal gratitude alongside you, Momma Beth. So blessed to have your words today to sing the song of my heart.
Or, more briefly: Amen and Amen.
I was moved to tears that provoked genuine praise! Beth, may our Lord bless you in ways your lips have yet to even ask for. I love and give thanks to GOD for showing HIMSELF so wondrously in your writing this day!
Thankyou thankyou thankyou for serving us. The Lord used this mightly on me today.
Thank You for the prayer and pointing me to the cross on this beautiful Easter weekend. I had tears streaming down my face as I read your prayer thank you Mama Beth and have a blessed Easter.
Carol
I am overwhelmed …. a perfect time to revisit the immenseness of all He has done for us …. thank you so much for sharing this….and what an awesome thought to know that we will all be rejoicing together tomorrow as we celebrate that 1st Easter morn….Indeed, HE IS RISEN!! Blessings to you and yours!!
Amen and Amen.
Thank you, Beth.
In Jesus’ precious name we pray, Amen. Thanks for a beautiful prayer, Beth.
Amen!! Lord we need you every second of every day..I rejoice in You Jesus..I thank you for loving me I don’t deserve the love you shower on me yet you love me I am forever in debt to You My King… You are Worthy of all our Praise…
Such a blessing as I read this today. I was in a car wreck yesterday and just getting to my email today. My Abba Father and Precious Jesus protected me and my precious 7 yr old granddaughter from serious harm! PTL who reigns forever!
Praise His Name!
Mama Beth,
I’m so grateful for your life and how you live it; and you live it out loud here, in Siestaville.
Jesus,
I’m so grateful for your Life and how you lived it, and how you live it out loud here in Siestaville and in the world. May we always be willing vessels for you.
Just as the groom lifts the veil from the face of his bride and there is nothing separating them, Christ too has removed the veil between Himself and us. We wear white, because he wore Red. Thank you, Lord Jesus.
Blessing on you and yours this Season of Rememberance of His Gift and our redemption.
Love you, Siestas!
Amen! May I never, ever be underwhelmed at His sacrifice for me.
Amen.
Amen!
Thank you.
Thank you Beth! He is risen indeed, and I’m free! I’m going to print the prayer to pray for myself and my family. Last night some of my iris started to bloom, I thought “that’s just how God is, he gives us life, breath, daily bread, and sends His only Son to die for my sins, then gives me blooming iris on His resurrection day!”
Thank you, Beth… I really needed that 🙂
P.S. Can I be a Siesta?
It’s just an endearment for sister. You already are one, Sweet Thing.
Amen! Thank you Jesus!!
Stand in Awe and worship the King of kings and Lord of lords . . . http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dtIF9VzX6As&feature=bf_prev&list=PLBA6A4970FD7DCF92&index=1
Mrs. Beth, so many times I read your entries and they speak to my heart so loudly. This one just has my heart full and overflowing. You see I have many struggles. I have some severe health problems, a husband that is a “non practicing Christian” and a drug addict sister. I was able to release all of this to our great Father. Will I have to release it again…probably. But for today, but for this hour…it is released. Thank you my dear siesta…
Thank you so much for this post and for the exhortation to meditate on all that Christ has done. Thank you for helping the Lord answer my prayer for focus this Easter season – I know I’m posting this comment late, but I wanted to share that the Lord used this post to answer my own petition of Him. Thank you!
I was just reading this portion of Acts last night, and I had been thinking the same thing of the similarity between Paul’s ordeals in general, and the breaking of the bread during the storm specifically, and the events of Jesus’ last days. I was reading right after our family watched the Passion of the Christ, so the images were fresh in my mind. One other thing that struck me that Paul and Jesus shared in common were being carted all over the place for their trials. The reality that the Pharisees/Sanhedrin/etc. did not learn their lesson about manipulating government officials, and insisting a trial for innocent men, disappointing. The degree to which we are capable of hardening our hearts and rationalizing our actions is unbelievable.
THANK YOU BETH FOR THIS BEAUTIFUL POST. Sunday morning I read the death/resurrection of Jesus in John, and was just in awe of God, and how unworthy I am of His demonstration of love – the Son’s death on the cross. But, knowing that he overcame death, the grave, sin, and sickness for me, I realized again, but for the first time it seems, how IN DEBT I am to Christ, my brother. I must LIVE to forever show my gratitude for my savior.
I love this post so much. I am the one who tweeted about the white blood cells for my dad last week and I have to share about our weekend. My family here at home decided that my parents needed us terribly and so we headed toward Houston on Thursday morning. Several were screened for the donation process that afternoon but thankfully we already had a donor lined up for Friday morning. When the donor finished Fri he came to the hospital to visit and described the donation to us. He stretched his arms out like a cross to show how they hook both your arms to machines. On Good Friday he was stretching his arms out to spill a little of his blood out for my daddy! It was too much and so overwhelming!! My dad received the cells on Friday afternoon and Saturday was the worst day he has had throughout this horrible cancer journey but Sunday morning, same day HOPE sprang forth out of the tomb, he was like a new man. He was able to go to the chapel for church and eat Easter lunch in the cafeteria with us. It was such an amazing transformation. All glory goes to God our Father for everything HE gives us. It’s the hard eucharisteo but it’s worth it.
Praise God that he touched your father and made this such a personal East.
May he countinue to recover and be a witness for our Lord.
Jackie
Absolutely beautiful! I am in total agreement with all you have written. May God bless you as much as you have bless others through your worship and Glory of our Abba Father. We praise you Jesus that you would bring someone in our life such as Beth Moore to lead the way for your lost sheep to fall at your feet and worship you and remember it is only through you that we can be saved and our sins washed away. We are greatful beyond measure for your love and faithfulness Lord. Cleans us all and be a constant reminder that YOU are LORD.
Amen and God Bless you!
Jackie
Thank you so much for this post, just what my soul needs.
Oh sweet Beth,
I wish you could see my 6 year old darlin reciting Psalm 23. She memorized it for Holy Week. She gets mixed up with “He annoints my head with oil”, and says instead “He annoints oil into my head”…we think she is confusing the oil with botox ;). Priceless. Oh how good the Lord is! i pray your Easter was a blessed one…I know it was. I’ll attach the link of Caroline. Blessings and love to you my friend…
Amy
http://www.playingsublimely.com/2011/04/it-is-a-good-friday/
Dear Beth loved, loved your personal prayer. It’s been a beautiful Easter Season! Karen from Massachusettes
I just read this post and I’m almost feeling the fluid run through my joints! Does that make sense? All day Friday I was trying to envision the events of the day 2000 years ago, the weather, the sweat, the smells, my sweet Jesus… Everytime I thought of Him I would praise Him and thank Him! Thank you for your prayer, especially the last portion of it, I’m going to pray it for my family! We Love you Beth!
What a breath of fresh air to read this and realize once again how much we take for granted. Just to realize how different Good Friday would be if I lived somewhere else. Here in Canada Good Friday is a statutory holiday and everything is closed – all businesses, banks, grocery stores, malls, etc. It is sort of weird to drive by a mall and see the parking lots empty but it is nice too. Churches are filled and have special Holy Week services and Easter cantatas, etc. Easter Sunday is a statutory holiday too, so once again the malls, banks, grocery stores, etc. are closed. We forget and take that for granted too but this has made me realize once again what a blessing it is to have both Good Friday and Easter Sunday set apart so that we can go to church and have special remembrances and not have to go about the usual work a day world. Thanks!
thank you thank you thank you
for your faithfulness
and allowing me to print this to pray this every day
i am so blessed
GOD is sooooo good – ALL the time
I want to reflect on this not just at Easter, but year round, praying this too, fromt he heart…
Let your ears be attentive to the voice of my pleas for mercy! Psalm 130:2 ESV