Day 18, Thursday: “He Made Sweet the Bitterness”

by Pastor Brian Petak

On this Maundy Thursday, the day Jesus celebrated the Last Supper with His disciples in the context of the Jewish Passover Seder meal, we reflect on Jesus’ final day before He went to the cross on our behalf. It is in the upper room on this night where Jesus washed the feet of his disciples before this Passover meal – even the feet of His betrayer – and then goes to Gethsemane to pray, before His betrayer hands Him over to the Roman guard.

“Jesus hallowed the Father’s name by always praying in a way consistent with God’s nature, ways purposes, and especially His will. He would never pray anything contrary to the nature of God. This is where we must think both before we pray and while we pray. This will help keep us from praying outside the Father’s revealed will and nature, or outside Jesus’ commands and truth, or outside what we know of the Holy Spirit’s nature and activity.”

~ Henry Blackaby, Experiencing Prayer With Jesus, p. 62.

Meditation

Think about what Jesus did for you as you read this out loud:

Our Lord subdued His might and constrained it, that His living death might give life to Adam. His hands He gave to the piercing of the nails, instead of the hand that plucked the fruit: He was smitten on the cheek in the judgment hall, instead of the mouth that ate it in Eden. And because his foot bore Adam thence, His feet were pierced. Our Lord was stripped, that He might make us modest: with the gall and vinegar He made sweet the bitterness of the serpent, which he had poured forth into mankind.

~ Ephraim the Syrian, 4th Century Early Church Father and Hymnwriter – Nisibis, Persia

Call to Worship

Hear God call you to worship through his word:

You have kept count of my tossings;
    put my tears in your bottle.
    Are they not in your book?
⁹ Then my enemies will turn back
    in the day when I call.
    This I know, that God is for me.
¹⁰ In God, whose word I praise,
    in the Lord, whose word I praise,
¹¹ in God I trust; I shall not be afraid.
    What can man do to me?

Psalm 56:8-11

Adoration

Pray this praise to God:

’Tis midnight, and on Olive’s brow
the star is dimmed that lately shone;
’tis midnight; in the garden now
the suff’ring Savior prays alone.

’Tis midnight, and, from all removed,
Emmanuel wrestles lone with fears:
e’en the disciple that He loved
heeds not his Master’s grief and tears.

’Tis midnight, and, for others’ guilt,
the Man of Sorrows weeps in blood;
yet He that hath in anguish knelt
is not forsaken by His God.

’Tis midnight; and from heav’nly plains
is borne the song that angels know;
unheard by mortals are the strains
that sweetly soothe the Savior’s woe.

~William Tappan, 18th Century New England Hymnwriter – Massachussets

Confession of Sin

Confess your sins to God:

O God the Father of heaven, have mercy upon us.
O God the Son, Redeemer of the world, have mercy upon us.
O God the Holy Spirit, have mercy upon us.
Be merciful to us and spare us, O Lord.
Be merciful to us and deliver us, O Lord.
From all sin, from all error, from all evil – deliver us, O Lord.
From the wiles of the devil and from everlasting death – deliver us, O Lord.

Lord Jesus, by the mystery of your holy incarnation,
by your holy nativity,
by your baptism, fasting, temptations – deliver us, O Lord.
By your agony and bloody sweat,
by your cross and passions, by your death and burial,
by your resurrection and ascension,
by the coming of the Holy Spirit, the Comforter – deliver us, O Lord. Amen.

~ Martin Bucer, 16th Century English reformer & influencer of John Calvin – Cambridge, England

Assurance of Pardon

Receive these words of comfort from God:

³ “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
⁴ “Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted.

Matthew 5:3-4

Prayer of Intercession

As you make your requests to God, pray this prayer:

Lord, I am unable to stand under the cross by myself; be pleased to ease this load by fortifying my spirit, that I may be strongest when I am weakest, and may be able to do and suffer everything that you please, through Christ who strengthens me. Let me pass through the valley of tears, and the valley of the shadow of death with safety and peace, with a meek spirit, and a sense of the divine mercies, through Jesus Christ. Amen.

~Jeremy Taylor, 17th Century English Episcopal Minister – Cambridge, England

Further Petition

Pray for:

• Personal: pray today for those in your family and circle of friends who are not walking with the Lord, and ask the Father to open doors for gospel-centered conversation that points to Jesus.
• Church: pray today for all of the outside groups who use our facility weekly, that there would be great ministry effectiveness and fruit as we show them hospitality that goes beyond ourselves.
• Community: pray for all of the elementary, middle and high schools in our community – for the students, teachers, faculty and administration.
• World: pray for peace where there is conflict around the world.

Connect the Heart

Consider the following questions to better connect your head and your heart:

1. What did God show you about Himself through today’s devotional?
2. What did God show you about yourself through today’s devotional?
3. What is something you need to surrender to God today as you pursue greater intimacy with Him?

Benediction

As you close your time of meditation and devotion, receive by faith this blessing from God:

²⁰ Now to him who is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think, according to the power at work within us, ²¹ to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, forever and ever. Amen.

Ephesians 3:20-21

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_{Content for our 21 Days of Prayer & Fasting devotionals is adapted from several sources, books on prayer, meditations and liturgies, drawing heavily from O Sacred Head, Now Wounded by Jonathan Gibson (copyright 2024 by Crossway)}