Welcome to OTCC.LIFE Church

Jesus said, “Father, forgive them, for they don’t know what they are doing.”  (Luke 23:34a, NLT)

Today we are going to pray for forgiveness.  Jesus hung on the cross and prayed for us.  It was our sins that put Him there, even if we didn't truly understand the weight of what we were doing.

Today pray with Jesus that the Father would forgive us.  Clear the slate.  Make confession to God, and if you feel it would help, confess to another believer.  And as you do, know that Jesus already prayed for your forgiveness and the Father heard Him.

We will also pray for those who have hurt us.   Be specific... Name names... Jesus' prayer is so hard.  If we are truly being gracious, we might manage to pray that God would deal with them and maybe even judge them because we know that we can't.  But Jesus recognized that these people didn't even comprehend the damage they were doing.  They were hurting the one who loved them most and they were clueless to the pain they were causing and Jesus rooted his prayer in the understanding that if any of us truly knew the depth of hurt we cause, we could not bear that load.

So today, jump on the two way street of forgiveness.  Receive it even as you offer it.  Enter Holy Week with an open and cleansed heart.  

“And Jesus replied, “I assure you, today you will be with me in paradise.”” (Luke 23:43)

The thief on the cross had nothing to offer.  No good works.  Not even any promises or future hopes of righteous behavior.  But the thief still cried out for mercy... To be remembered.  And Jesus promised to not only remember him, but to be with him in paradise.

Pray today for those who need Jesus.  Pray for those in your life who need to know the loving Savior.  Pray for your co-workers... You neighbors... Your family members.  Pray for the people who frustrate you and who stand for everything  you stand against.  Remember, this was a thief whom Jesus was saving.  This was not the type of person people usually pray for.  

Jesus came to call sinners and even on the cross in his final moments, he was still doing what He came to do.  Easter is all about salvation.  Pray that the saving work of Easter sweeps our land.

"Woman, behold your son! ... Behold your mother!"  (John 19:26-27)

While in the depths of his pain, Jesus was concerned about his mom's well-being.  Jesus was assuring that she would be cared for after his departure.  He was calling on John to step up and care for Mary.

Today, pray for the needs of others... even if you have many needs of your own... especially if you have many needs of your own.  A power is released when you pray for someone else from the depth of your own need and despare.  

Jesus took his eyes off of His own cross and saw the needs of another and He met that need, even while enduring his own agony.  Prayer allows us to do the same.  See someone else's need and meet that need in prayer.

"My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?"(Matthew 27:46)

This is lament.  This is not, "give us this day our daily bread".  This is gut wrenching desperation.  This is feeling alone and unheard.  This is that surety that no one sees you.  This is the dark night of the soul.

Jesus gave voice to his lament.  He sang out Psalms 22 in his pain.  We are allowed to be honest with our pain.  We are allowed to tell God.  We are allowed to shout out pain to God and to ask Him where He is.  

Today pray honestly.  Tell God where it hurts.  Tell him where you are frustrated.  Tell Him where you doubt.  God can handle your negative feelings and you might even find that He prefers the authenticity that they engender.  The sinless Son of God cried out honestly to His Father and we can too.

"I thirst."(John 19:28)

This is an expression of need.  Jesus has prayed for his abusers, he's prayed for the lost, he's prayed for the needs of others and he's talked to God about his pain... And now he acknowledges His own need.  He needed a drink.

The Bible says that people offered him a poor substitute for a drink, but Jesus knew who could actually meet his need.  So he prayed, "I'm thirsty".

You have needs.  We all have needs.  Today, bring them to the Father.  Jesus told us to start our Prayers with the Word, "Daddy".  It's easier to ask your daddy for the things you need.  So this is day to pepper heaven with your prayer list.  Tell God what you need.  He is listening.

"Father, into your hands I commend my spirit."(Luke 23:46)

This is the prayer of surrender.  But it is certainly not giving up.  This is the recognition that our life is better off not in our hands.  This is finally realizing that God's plan is not only irresistible, it's better.

Pray today that God will help you surrender.  It's harder than it seems and we need his help to do it.  Whatever it is that He's calling you to do, pray, "Into your hands I commend my spirit!"