Holy Week Devotional Day 1: Palm Sunday
Today we read about Jesus’ triumphal entry into Jerusalem. As you read these passages, take a moment to reflect that God has had a plan and a purpose from the beginning. This Psalm was written centuries before Jesus entered Jerusalem, but what do you notice? See the praises of the psalmist. Compare them to what the people are doing in the New Testament passage of John 12. Take some time today to praise God for Jesus, who comes in the name of the LORD to save His people.
Hosanna!
LORD save us!
Blessed is the name of the LORD!
Psalm 118:19-29 (NIV)
19 Open for me the gates of the righteous;
I will enter and give thanks to the Lord.
20 This is the gate of the Lord
through which the righteous may enter.
21 I will give you thanks, for you answered me;
you have become my salvation.
22 The stone the builders rejected
has become the cornerstone;
23 the Lord has done this,
and it is marvelous in our eyes.
24 The Lord has done it this very day;
let us rejoice today and be glad.
25 Lord, save us!
Lord, grant us success!
26 Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord.
From the house of the Lord we bless you.
27 The Lord is God,
and he has made his light shine on us.
With boughs in hand, join in the festal procession
up to the horns of the altar.
28 You are my God, and I will praise you;
you are my God, and I will exalt you.
29 Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good;
his love endures forever.
John 12:12-16 (NIV)
Jesus Comes to Jerusalem as King
12 The next day the great crowd that had come for the festival heard that Jesus was on his way to Jerusalem. 13 They took palm branches and went out to meet him, shouting,
“Hosanna!”
“Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!”
“Blessed is the king of Israel!”
14 Jesus found a young donkey and sat on it, as it is written:
15 “Do not be afraid, Daughter Zion;
see, your king is coming,
seated on a donkey’s colt.”
16 At first his disciples did not understand all this. Only after Jesus was glorified did they realize that these things had been written about him and that these things had been done to him.
PRAYER
Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord! Lord God, we thank you for sending Jesus to save us from our sins. On this Palm Sunday, we rejoice remembering Jesus’ triumphal entry into Jerusalem celebrating the coming of your Kingdom on Earth. You are our God, and we will exalt and praise you! Amen
SONG
Click here to listen to today's song!
Palm Sunday by Edgardo de Guzman, used by permission.
New International Version (NIV)
Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.