Dear God, I know that the stories, prophecies and wisdom of the Hebrew Bible are critical for our instruction, so that through perseverance and the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope. You have made it evident that we cannot understand Your great Story without the witness of inspired Scripture prior to the coming of the Lord Jesus. May I regularly expose myself to the full counsel of Your Word and drink deeply from the well of both Testaments. I give thanks for the profound wisdom and marvels of Your revelation through the people You inspired, and ask that I would make the time to read, meditate, pray and rest in Your Word so that I will walk in the path of righteousness, trust and obedience. May the life-giving seed of Your truth bear much fruit in and through me.

• We can have hope through perseverance and the encouragement of the Scriptures.

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THE LORD IS RISEN!

EASTER PAST
He is not here, for He has risen, just as He said.  (Matthew 28:6)

See My hands and My feet, that it is I Myself; touch Me and see, for a spirit does not have flesh and bones as you see that I have.  (Luke 24:39)

God raised Jesus from the dead, freeing Him from the agony of death, because it was impossible for Him to be held by it. (Acts 2:24)

In the past God overlooked the times of ignorance, but now He commands all people everywhere to repent.  For He has set a day when He will judge the world with justice by the Man He has appointed.  He has given assurance of this to all men by raising Him from the dead.  (Acts 17:30-31)

God’s power toward us who believe is according to the working of His mighty strength, which He exerted in Christ when He raised Him from the dead and seated Him at His right hand in the heavenly realms, far above all rule and authority, power and dominion, and every title that can be given, not only in the present age but also in the one to come. (Ephesians 1:19-21)

EASTER PRESENT
Who will bring a charge against those whom God has chosen?  It is God who justifies.  Who is he who condemns?  It is Christ Jesus who died, who was furthermore raised to life, who is at the right hand of God and is also interceding for me.  (Romans 8:33-34)

If I confess with my mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in my heart that God raised Him from the dead, I will be saved. For it is with my heart that I believe unto righteousness, and it is with my mouth that I confess unto salvation.  As the Scripture says, “Whoever trusts in Him will not be put to shame.”  (Romans 10:9-11)

The love of Christ compels me, because I am convinced that One died for all, and therefore all died.  And He died for all, that those who live should no longer live for themselves but for Him who died for them and was raised again. (2 Corinthians 5:14-15)

May the God of my Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, give me a spirit of wisdom and of revelation in the full knowledge of Him, and may the eyes of my heart be enlightened, in order that I may know what is the hope of His calling, what are the riches of His glorious inheritance in the saints, and what is the incomparable greatness of His power toward us who believe.  (Ephesians 1:17-19)

I want to know Christ and the power of His resurrection and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death, that I may attain to the resurrection from the dead.  (Philippians 3:10-11)

In Christ I was circumcised with a circumcision made without hands, in the removal of the body of the flesh by the circumcision of Christ, having been buried with Him in baptism and raised with Him through faith in the working of God, who raised Him from the dead. (Colossians 2:11-12)

Since I have been raised with Christ, I should seek the things above, where Christ is seated at the right hand of God. May I set my mind on the things above, not on the things on the earth, for I died, and my life is now hidden with Christ in God.  When Christ who is my life appears, then I also will appear with Him in glory.  (Colossians 3:1-4)

Christ was chosen before the creation of the world but was revealed in these last times for our sake.  Through Him I believe in God, who raised Him from the dead and glorified Him, so that my faith and hope are in God.  (1 Peter 1:20-21)

EASTER FUTURE
Multitudes who sleep in the dust of the earth will awake, some to everlasting life, others to shame and everlasting contempt. Those who are wise will shine like the brightness of the heavens, and those who lead many to righteousness like the stars for ever and ever.  (Daniel 12:2-3)

An hour is coming when all who are in the graves will hear the voice of the Son of Man, and will come out—those who have done good to a resurrection of life, and those who have done evil to a resurrection of judgment.  (John 5:28-29)

You are the resurrection and the life. He who believes in You will live, even though he dies, and whoever lives and believes in You will never die. (John 11:25-26)

If I have been united with Christ in the likeness of His death, I will certainly also be united with Him in the likeness of His resurrection.  (Romans 6:5)

If I died with Christ, I believe that I will also live with Him, knowing that Christ, having been raised from the dead, cannot die again; death no longer has dominion over Him.  For the death that He died, He died to sin once for all; but the life that He lives, He lives to God.  In the same way, may I consider myself to be dead to sin, but alive to God in Christ Jesus.  (Romans 6:8-11)

Christ has been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep.  For since death came through a man, the resurrection of the dead comes also through a Man.  For as in Adam all die, so in Christ all will be made alive.  But each in his own order: Christ, the firstfruits; afterward, those who are Christ’s at His coming.  Then the end will come, when He delivers the kingdom to God the Father, when He has abolished all rule and all authority and power.  For He must reign until He has put all His enemies under His feet.  The last enemy that will be destroyed is death.  (1 Corinthians 15:20-26)

In the resurrection of the dead, the body that is sown is perishable, but it is raised imperishable; it is sown in dishonor, but it is raised in glory; it is sown in weakness, but it is raised in power; it is sown a natural body, but it is raised a spiritual body.  If there is a natural body, there is also a spiritual body.  (1 Corinthians 15:42-44)

The first man is of the dust of the earth; the second Man is from heaven.  As was the earthly man, so are those who are of the earth; and as is the Man from heaven, so also are those who are of heaven.  And just as we have borne the image of the earthly man, so shall we bear the likeness of the heavenly Man.  (1 Corinthians 15:47-49)

Thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.  Therefore let us be steadfast, immovable, abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that our labor in the Lord is not in vain.  (1 Corinthians 15:57-58)

Christ has appeared once for all at the end of the ages to do away with sin by the sacrifice of Himself.  And as it is appointed for man to die once and after that to face judgment, so Christ was offered once to bear the sins of many; and He will appear a second time, not to bear sin but to bring salvation to those who eagerly wait for Him.  (Hebrews 9:26-28)

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His great mercy has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, and into an inheritance that is incorruptible and undefiled and unfading, reserved in heaven for us.  (1 Peter 1:3-4)

The God of all grace, who called me to His eternal glory in Christ, after I have suffered a little while, will Himself perfect, confirm, strengthen, and establish me.  To him be the glory and dominion for ever and ever. Amen.  (1 Peter 5:10-11)

Since the day of the Lord will come like a thief, what kind of person should I be in holy conduct and godliness as I look for and hasten the coming of the day of God?  But according to His promise, I am looking for new heavens and a new earth, in which righteousness dwells.  Therefore, since I am looking for these things, may I be diligent to be found by Him in peace, spotless and blameless.  (2 Peter 3:10-14)

Lord God, in this life I can only see in a mirror dimly and I can only know in part. I cannot know fully just as I have been fully known by You, but the time is coming soon when I will see You face to face. In that glorious day when I stand before You by the grace and merit of Christ, my questions will be answered and I will be satisfied. I will fully proclaim that You have done all things well. It is good for me, Lord, to reflect on that future reality so that I can contextualize my circumstances in this present darkness. It is also good for me to review Your faithfulness to Your people in the past in spite of their disobedience, and to review Your many blessings and mercies in my own life’s journey. Then, as I look back on what You have done and look ahead to what You will do, I will grow in confidence in what You are doing today.

• We will fully know that He has done all things well.

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Lord in whom I trust, I freely acknowledge that I am often tempted to question Your ways and to wonder why You allow difficult and grievous things to happen not only in my life, but also in the lives of the people I love. But I must also admit that I simply do not have the knowledge or perspective that I would need to understand Your purposes in these events. When I consider the history of Your people in preparation for the coming of the Messiah, it is remarkable how little of that time they flourished and how many mistakes and enduring consequences dogged their lives and shattered their dreams. But when I see it from the broader perspective of the New Testament, it becomes clear that all of that contributed to a far greater good that will continue into eternity. May I never lose hope in You and Your works.

• We are often tempted to question God’s ways and to wonder why He allows difficult and grievous things to happen in our lives.

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Father of lights, teach me to enjoy You as never before. I want to delight in Your goodness, glory, grace, beauty, perfection, wisdom, justice, holiness, compassion, omniscience, omnipotence, omnipresence, majesty, truth, love, patience, transcendence and immanence. Teach me the wisdom of acknowledging You in all things, including Your often-overlooked tender mercies in the small things of life. May I celebrate Your many gifts and graces and delight in Your will. I affirm that my service to You is perfect freedom and that delighting in You is so much better than delighting in passing things. May I will to do Your will, love the things You love and desire what You desire. Only as I do this will I find the true fulfillment You want for me, because all good things come from You, and in Your right hand there are pleasures forever.

• The wisdom of acknowledging God in all things, including His often-overlooked tender mercies in the small things of life.

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God of wisdom, Your plans and purposes are lofty and unattainable by human comprehension. Even though the world is in rebellion against You, all that You have planned in Your perfect wisdom will be fully accomplished. It amazes me that You will do this through the choices both of those who know You and those who have rebelled against You. You have given me the dignity of being a moral agent whose decisions will matter. I pray that the choices I make would be in conformity with Your good and acceptable will, and I ask that You would clarify Your desires for me through the burdens and aspirations that You implant within me. May I seek Your guidance and power in transforming these burdens into plans that You inspire, so that I will honor Your name by accomplishing what You have prepared for me to do.

• The Lord has given us the dignity of being moral agents whose decisions will matter.

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God of glory, in wisdom You have made the heavens and the earth, and nothing is too difficult for You. You rule over the cosmos with its hundreds of billions of galaxies and hold all things together. You created all things for your good pleasure, and the heavens proclaim Your glory, majesty and greatness. Your glory and wisdom are also manifest throughout the manifold flora and fauna of this rich, though bent, world. In spite of the transgression of the Fall and the consequent spread of sin and of death, Your redemptive work will overcome the ravages of sin. Your Word clearly reveals that no amount of human effort could conquer this alienation and bring about peace with You and with humanity. I thank You that You have paid the only price that could bring this about through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus.

• The heavens proclaim the Creator’s glory, majesty and greatness.

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Lord of all things, Your sovereign will and purposes cannot be thwarted by human or demonic opposition. You revealed to Your prophets the things that were to come, and You have been working in history to bring these things to pass just as You predicted and promised. May I have a growing sense of confidence and assurance in all Your promises and rest in the realization that setbacks and opposition and disappointments will not defeat Your purposes for my life. I ask for a broader perspective that sees things in light of eternity and contextualizes the present in light of the ultimate future. May I have a zeal for the things that You have declared to be important and a desire for that which You want to accomplish through me for Your good pleasure. When I am anxious, I will give my burdens back to You and rest in Your assurances.

• The Lord’s sovereign will and purposes cannot be thwarted by human or demonic opposition.

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Father, may I grow in my desire to love and honor Your name in all things. I want to be faithful to You in this fallen world and not be lured away by cheap substitutes and futile hopes. I will fix my hope completely on the grace that will be brought to Your people at the revelation of Jesus Christ. I want to live in holy anticipation and long for the fullness of Your purposes. The only sure anchor for my hope is in the promises You have made to those who have made You their refuge and confidence. Your lovingkindness and compassion will never diminish, but will go on into eternity. In spite of the adversities and uncertainties of this life, You have offered me a living hope that will never disappoint or fade away. My hope is in Your perfect character and Your steadfast faithfulness, and these will never let me down.

• Living in holy anticipation and longing for the fullness of God’s purposes.

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Lord of history, Your name is to be blessed and exalted forever. Your dominion is everlasting and Your kingdom endures from generation to generation. Wisdom and power belong to You and You rule over all the times and the epochs of human history. It is You who removes kings and establishes kings, and no one can withstand Your will and purposes. Therefore, in spite of all appearances to the contrary in this rebellious time in history, I know that You will bring about Your kingdom of righteousness even upon this earth. I ascribe all glory, majesty, dominion and authority to You and exult in hope of the fullness of Your reign. I will embed my time and my culture in this larger whole as I wait on You to fulfill Your glorious promises. Maranatha—come quickly, Lord Jesus.

• The Lord removes and establishes kings, and no one can withstand His will and purposes.

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