There is no power over temptation nor victory over sin without spending time with God in prayer. James Montgomery, who was a great man of prayer, wrote these lyrics in his hymn “Prayer Is the Soul’s Sincere Desire”: Prayer is the Christian’s vital breath. The Christian’s native air; His watchword at the gates of death; He enters Heav’n with prayer. Prayer should be our first option rather than the final effort. When trouble approaches, we need to run to God in prayer. If you are weary and feel heavy-laden, take time to pray. When life is joyful, take time to praise God for His goodness through prayer. Moses prayed, and water flowed from a rock. Joshua prayed, and the sun stood still. Hannah prayed, and God gave her a son. David prayed, and Goliath fell. Elijah prayed, and fire rained down from heaven. Daniel prayed, and God closed the lions’ mouths. Jesus prayed, and 5,000 people were fed and satisfied with a little boy’s lunch. When Jesus prayed in the Garden of Gethsemane, the demons shook with terror. Heaven’s boundless power and strength are ours when we pray and align our will with God’s perfect plan. Are you discouraged and despondent? Pray. Do you feel defeated by sin? Pray. Does it seem as if your life and personal relationships are falling apart? Your greatest needs can be met through prayer. God is not challenged by your sin or difficult circumstances. Prayer is the avenue He uses to restore your soul and to prepare you to live the life He has given you. Therefore, pray, knowing that when you draw near to Him, He will draw near to you. Prayer: Lord, in Your mercy, restore my soul and prepare me for the life You have planned for me. I want to live for You and trust You to finish Your work in me. I pray in the name of Jesus. Amen.

In Jeremiah, the Lord promises Israel restoration of relationship with Him, saying, “Then you will call on me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart” (Jeremiah 29:12-13). Through Christ we have this promise—a special relationship with God—if only we will seek Him and meet with Him in prayer. For, if we fail to pray, we will never fully experience the power of God in our lives. We have the awesome privilege of entering God’s presence through prayer. Prayer is our declaration of faith in a mighty God. When we pray, we acknowledge our need of Him and our dependence on Him alone. Calling out to God also declares our desire for His wisdom, guidance, and protection. We have the awesome privilege of entering God’s presence through prayer. It is here that we discover the will of God for our lives and receive His power so we can victoriously face the enemy of our souls. In this life, there will be times when we struggle with feelings of disappointment. In those times, we may be tempted to give up and forget the goodness and love of God. If we are not careful, our spiritual focus will shift, and we will wonder, “Why pray?” Never allow this attitude to rest within your heart. Prayer is our mighty weapon of victory. It is a matter of the will rather than emotion or intellect. When the bottom drops out of life, we must become more determined than ever to pray. In Scripture, Paul reminds us that a spiritual battle rages around us (see Ephesians 6:12). However, we are not defenseless. Prayer is a powerful and sure weapon (see 2 Corinthians 10:3-4). Therefore, we can pray and, by faith, know that God hears us when we call to Him. Prayer: Father, You are Almighty God, and I acknowledge my utter dependence on You. I pray for Your will for my life. May I receive it with joy and thanksgiving knowing You love me. I pray in the name of Jesus. Amen.

Read John 20:15-18. Though Mary had likely heard Jesus Himself say that He would die and then rise again on the third day, she couldn’t bring herself to believe it had actually happened. But then Jesus said her name: “Mary” (John 20:16)—and instantly, she recognized her Lord and Savior. When Mary heard Jesus calling her by name, her depression transformed into delight, her sorrow turned into joy, and her tears of sadness became tears of gladness. She cried out, “Rabboni! My teacher!” and then, out of unspeakable joy, she ran to embrace Him. Then, Jesus said something that may sound strange to us: “Do not hold on to me, for I have not yet ascended to the Father” (v. 17). Jesus wasn’t being rude. He wasn’t pushing Mary away. He was telling her that things were now different. He would soon return to the glory He had laid aside when He came to earth. Only then would He send the Holy Spirit to be with Mary, His disciples, and everyone else who would trust in Him. Through the Spirit, we can enjoy a deep, intimate, ever-growing relationship with Jesus. That is why Jesus had said, “But very truly I tell you, it is for your good that I am going away. Unless I go away, the Advocate will not come to you; but if I go, I will send him to you” (John 16:7, emphasis added). Because of the Holy Spirit, we don’t have to spend a minute apart from Jesus. He is with us always (see Matthew 28:20). Mary’s outlook was transformed when she knew that Jesus was alive, and yet there are many Christians who live as though they don’t believe it. If you live your life as though Jesus died on the cross but never rose on the third day, you will regularly experience grief, depression, discouragement, and hopelessness. But there is good news: You can come back to the empty tomb and hear Jesus call you by name. You can recommit your life to Jesus as Lord and Savior, and you can exchange your depression for delight. You will be able to persevere in hope and even joy because you will know that Jesus is with you and will never let you go. Prayer: Father, You have called me by name, and I belong to You. Therefore, may I live with joy and confidence. I pray in the name of Jesus. Amen.

Read John 20:11-15. Jesus had delivered Mary Magdalene from seven demons that had tormented her (see Luke 8:2). He rescued her from the crushing weight of shame that sin had piled upon her. So, she followed Him. Mary was devoted to Jesus, staying by His side even while He was tortured, beaten, and nailed to a Roman cross. Though most of the disciples fled in fear, Mary stood by her Lord in His darkest hour—faithful, steadfast, and unashamed. It’s likely she was there when Jesus’ body was taken down. She may also have been there when Joseph and Nicodemus prepared the body for burial and placed it in the garden tomb (see John 19:38-39). Mary had no doubt that Jesus had died. So, when she saw that the body was missing, she could only conclude that it had been stolen. Standing there, Mary wept, probably for quite some time, because she was asked twice why she was crying—once by the angels who met her in the tomb and once by Jesus Himself, who asked her, “Woman, why are you crying?” (John 20:15). It wasn’t that Jesus couldn’t understand why she would be crying. Jesus was never one to hide His own emotions (see Luke 19:41; John 11:35), and He never told others to suppress theirs (see Luke 23:28). Rather, with His question, Jesus was saying to Mary, “Your tears are unnecessary.” How many times do we grieve and fret over our circumstances, whether it’s the loss of a job, a scary diagnosis, or some other earthly and therefore temporary trouble? We weep and worry because we fail to see the resurrected Jesus in the midst of our troubles. But He is alive and with us. So He asks us in our difficult circumstances, “Why are you crying?” He wants to clarify our thinking, like He did for Mary. Jesus pressed Mary: “Who is it you are looking for?” (John 20:15). Well, she was looking for a dead body. But God had given her a resurrected, powerful, living Savior. She was looking for lifeless remains, but God had given her the assurance of her own resurrection. She was looking for a life of sorrow, but God had given her eternal hope. Prayer: Lord, help me to remember that my tears are unnecessary. Though this life will have sorrow, all my trials pale in comparison to the glory that awaits me in You. I pray in the name of Jesus. Amen.

Read John 19:28-30. Just before He breathed His last, our Lord proclaimed, “It is finished” (John 19:30). In our English Bibles, that’s three words, but in the original Greek, it’s one beautiful word: Tetelestai. Why do I say it’s beautiful? It has to do with grammar and syntax. You see, tetelestai is a perfect passive verb, which means the action of the verb has been accomplished and yet its effects continue on and on. On the cross, Christ finished His work—He completed His earthly mission—and yet the effects of His perfect sacrifice on our behalf will continue until He comes again. Jesus’ death on the cross will continue to bless millions upon millions of people from every tribe, tongue, and nation as they confess with their mouths that Jesus is Lord and believe in their hearts God raised Him from the dead (see Romans 10:9). Jesus is the sole path of salvation for everyone on the face of the earth. His finished work alone atones for sin—and it’s always been that way. Even before Jesus came, the saints of the Old Testament were saved by trusting in what God would one day do for them in Christ. Abraham, by faith, longed for the day when Jesus would say, “Tetelestai.” Moses prophesied about the day when that word would be uttered. David sang songs looking forward to that day, and the prophets proclaimed the coming of the Messiah, the one who would crush the head of the serpent (see Genesis 3:15). Through Christ, there is now nothing to separate us from God the Father—we have been made righteous by the blood of His Son. Tetelestai. The entire Gospel can be summed up with that one word because Jesus did everything necessary for our salvation when He died upon that cross. He secured our forgiveness and our place in the family of God forever. And now our glorious privilege is to proclaim this Good News. Christ’s work on the cross was sufficient for you, me, and anyone who comes to Him in repentance. The world needs to know It is finished. Prayer: Lord, I praise You that it is finished! By Your incredible grace, You have redeemed me from the grave. May I lovingly and boldly share Your Good News with those You put in my life. I pray in the name of Jesus. Amen.

Read John 13:1-17. The cross was central to Jesus’ earthly life at every stage. From His virgin birth to His public ministry, the cry of His life was to finish the work the Father had given Him to do. A short time after His baptism, Jesus went to a wedding in the small Galilean town of Cana (see John 2). He was not yet well known. The crowds weren’t yet following Him wherever He went. And yet He was already looking ahead to the cross. We know this because when His mother came to Him with a crisis—the bride and groom had run out of wine—Jesus replied, “My hour has not yet come” (v. 4). What hour was Jesus talking about? The hour of His death, the hour of His sacrifice, the hour when He could finally say, “It is finished” (John 19:30). Later, at the time of the Feast of Tabernacles, Jesus again demonstrated His understanding of who He was and the purpose for which He walked this earth. His brothers, who did not yet believe that He was the Messiah, taunted Him, saying, “No one who wants to become a public figure acts in secret” (John 7:4). This was no kind comment. The Jewish leaders in Judea were already looking for a way to kill Jesus (see v. 1). Yet He responded, “My time is not yet here; . . .” (v. 6). Jesus was thinking about His death. Then, in John 13, Jesus gathered with His disciples for what would be His last meal before His betrayal, arrest, and crucifixion. He got up in the middle of dinner, grabbed a basin and a towel, and began washing His disciples’ feet. Our Lord set this poignant example for His disciples—including us—to follow because He “knew that the hour had come for him to leave this world and go to the Father” (v. 1, see also vv. 14-15). Jesus was always thinking about the hour of His death. He knew it was the Father’s will for Him to bear our sins on the cross. It was His joy to obey the Father and save sinners. May we grasp the wonder that God “did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all” (Romans 8:32). Prayer: Jesus, thank You for Your incredible love that led You to the cross in obedience to the Father. I pray in the name of Jesus. Amen.