Disciples Don't Worry About Yesterday

Many Christian traditions highlight these pre-Easter days as “Holy Week,” but it is not actually more holy than other weeks. If you look back at Jesus' life, every week He lived was holy. So why “Holy Week?” We hold the events of this week in special esteem for their impact on the life and definition of the world and the church.

John dedicates nearly half of His gospel material to the events of this week. We will follow some of those events with Jesus as best we can place them, leading us into short times of prayer with the Lord after that. Monday’s event is the cleansing of the temple and kicking out the money changers, found in Matthew 21:12-13:

Matthew 21:12-13

Jesus entered the temple courts and drove out all who were buying and selling there. He overturned the tables of the money changers and the benches of those selling doves. “It is written,” he said to them, “‘My house will be called a house of prayer,’ but you are making it ‘a den of robbers.’”

It’s a great segue or transition to the following prayer for the week:

Prayer for the Week

Lord Jesus, I pray that You would cleanse my temple and renew it as a house of prayer for You as well – head to toe. Stir my spirit and deepen my appreciation for the events You experienced this week, pouring out Your heart and soul, life, and blood to redeem Your people – to redeem me. I look forward to another week of Your blessings and pray that the Father grants it in Your name. Amen.

8 Prayers to Pray Each Day of Holy Week

If you would like to supplement your Holy Week experience with prayers created by IBelieve to walk toward Jesus’ death and resurrection, check out Maria Miriam’s content with written or video options.

Micro-Meditation

Psalm 51:13-19

Then I will teach transgressors your ways,
so that sinners will turn back to you.
Deliver me from the guilt of bloodshed,
O God, you who are God my Savior
and my tongue will sing of your righteousness.
Open my lips, Lord,
and my mouth will declare your praise.
You do not delight in sacrifice, or I would bring it; you do not take pleasure in burnt offerings.
My sacrifice, O God, is a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart you, O God, will not despise.
May it please you to prosper Zion,
to build up the walls of Jerusalem.
Then you will delight in the sacrifices of the righteous, in burnt offerings offered whole;
then bulls will be offered on your altar.

Read the verses twice.

Mark words or phrases that catch your attention.

Meditate: Talk or write with God (journal) about those words. Ask Him to impress things on your heart and mind. Write them down.

Pondering Point

Psalm 51:19 (above) speaks of the sacrifices of the righteous. The following language may be grandiose, but it is true nonetheless: You will never find a more righteous person (Jesus) making a more powerful and effective sacrifice than the one celebrated this week. Ever since then, His disciples have been teaching transgressors about His ways, enabling hearers to be delivered from their sins. Hopefully you are one of those sinners who has declared the praise of God for His Son Jesus’ sacrifice.