Hosanna in the highest!

Mark 11:1-26

And they brought the colt to Jesus and threw their outer garments upon it, and He sat on it. And many of the people spread their garments on the road, and others scattered a layer of leafy branches which they had cut from the fields.

And those who went before and those who followed cried out with a cry of happiness, Hosanna! Be graciously inclined and propitious to Him! Praised and blessed is He Who comes in the name of the Lord! Praised and blessed in the name of the Lord is the coming kingdom of our father David! Hosanna (O save us) in the highest heaven!

Praise and prayer and forgiveness.

The common people loved Jesus. They saw a Savior in Him. They saw Him as the coming King, worthy of worship and adoration with joy. The religious leaders instead saw a threat and wanted to kill Him. Jealousy and fear filled their hearts.

Let me seek the love of the common people, as You did, Jesus. Let me love them one at a time, as You did. Allow me to feel Your pleasure as I minister one at a time. Release my heart from wanting to be noticed or sought after by the movers and shakers of the world. You are the biggest Mover and Shaker. You always see me and notice what I am doing. You always read every word I write, remember every sigh and success, keep all my tears in a bottle, wink at me from Your stage.

Jesus threw out the vendors and money changers in the temple reminding them all that His temple was a house of prayer. And later He reminds us again of the boldness of prayer. Pray for anything, even the impossible, especially the impossible! Our God is a god of miracles, and we need to expect them, remember them, trust for them, ask for them with the confidence of a beloved daughter. Prayer is a sacred thing, it can not be bought and sold. It is a free gift, lavished with love. We don't need to have in order to receive. We don't need to buy in order to receive. We just need to wait and trust with arms open.

Lastly, a requirement of prayer is forgiveness. Tonight I was reminded that all is not as it seems. We cannot know what lies in the depth of the hearts of others: their pain and their motivation. Often, I do not understand my own heart. Love mercy.

And what does the LORD require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God. (Micah 6:8)

Praise and prayer and forgiveness. That is what church should be about. That is what my heart should be about. And Jesus will ride in, humbly on a colt.

Beloved Jesus, I praise You! You have given me everything I need. Remind me of Your mercy and humility so that I can walk in Your ways. May I always be among those who praise You and trust You alone to save me. Hosanna in the highest!