I am Raphael, one of the seven holy angels, which present the prayers of the saints, and which go in and out before the glory of the Holy One
(Tobit 12:15; KJV).
God sent me […] to cure you
(Tobit 12:13-14; GNTA).
Lord Jesus,
Please give Raphael
Your gentle, healing touch,
Then send him down to help us,
For you love us all so much.
You see our trials and sorrows, Lord,
You hear our anguished cries;
You share our grief and pain;
Your Spirit prays for us with sighs.
You know, Lord, how we suffer here
In mind and body, heart and soul,
But with his help we will be healed:
Your touch will make us whole.
In one of the villages, Jesus met a man with an advanced case of leprosy. When the man saw Jesus, he bowed with his face to the ground, begging to be healed. “Lord,” he said, “if you are willing, you can heal me and make me clean.” Jesus reached out and touched him. “I am willing,” he said. “Be healed!” And instantly the leprosy disappeared (Luke 5:12-13; NLT).
“Only God can turn the dark night into glorious heavenly light”
(Alan Kearns).
Lord,
1. Turn our anguish
Into peace;
Our darkness
Into dazzling light.
2. Turn our sorrow
Into joy;
Our blindness
Into perfect sight.
3. Turn our judgements
Into love;
Our sickness
Into welcome rest,
4. And turn our dying
Into life eternal,
When we’ve faced
Each test.
References
1. Lord, see my anguish! My heart is broken and my soul despairs (Lamentations 1:20; NLT).
The Lord turns my darkness into light (2 Samuel 22:29; NIV).
2. Oh, give me back my joy again; you have broken me – now let me rejoice (Psalm 51:8; NLT).
The Lord gives sight to the blind (Psalm 146:8; NIV).
3. Do not judge others, and you will not be judged (Luke 6:37; NLT).
Don’t just pretend to love others. Really love them (Romans 12:9; NLT).
The Lord God, the Holy One of Israel, has said: “You will be delivered by returning and resting; your strength will lie in quiet confidence” (Isaiah 30:15; CSB).
4. Our dying bodies must be transformed into bodies that will never die; our mortal bodies must be transformed into immortal bodies (1 Corinthians 15:53; NLT).
Jesus told her, “I am the resurrection and the life. Anyone who believes in me will live, even after dying” (John 11:25; NLT).
The Lord your God is testing you to find out whether you love him with all your heart and with all your soul (Deuteronomy 13:3; NIV).
There is no greater love than to lay down one’s life for one’s friends
(John 15:13; NLT).
1. Welcomed by the crowds,
Who later jeered.
2. Kissed; betrayed;
Arrested, Lord, at night.
3. Deserted by your friends;
Alone; bereft.
4. Spat on, mocked, and whipped;
Accusers lied.
5. Judged unjustly;
Sentenced, and condemned.
6. Burdened by your cross,
As women grieved.
7. Crucified by guards,
Whom you forgave:
8. In agony, and anguish, Lord,
You died.
💛
References
1. The next day, the great crowd that had come for the festival heard that Jesus was on his way to Jerusalem. 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!” (John 12:12-13; NIV).
The people passing by shouted abuse, shaking their heads in mockery. “Look at you now!” they yelled at him. “You said you were going to destroy the Temple and rebuild it in three days. Well then, if you are the Son of God, save yourself and come down from the cross!” (Matthew 27:40; NLT).
2. The traitor, Judas, had given them a prearranged signal: “You will know which one to arrest when I greet him with a kiss” (Matthew 26:48; NLT).
Then the others grabbed Jesus and arrested him (Matthew 26:50; NLT).
3. Then all his disciples deserted him and ran away (Mark 14:50; NLT).
4. They spat on him and took the staff and struck him repeatedly on the head (Matthew 27:30; NET).
Then they knelt before him in mockery and taunted, “Hail! King of the Jews!” (Matthew 27:29; NLT).
He ordered Jesus flogged with a lead-tipped whip (Mark 15:15; NLT).
Many false witnesses spoke against him, but they contradicted each other (Mark 14:56; NLT).
5. The leading priests stirred up the crowd to demand the release of Barabbas instead of Jesus. Pilate asked them, “Then what should I do with this man you call the king of the Jews?” They shouted back, “Crucify him!” (Mark 15:12-13; NLT).
He […] turned him over to the Roman soldiers to be crucified (Mark 15:15; NLT).
6. Carrying the cross by himself, he went to the place called Place of the Skull (John 19:17; NLT).
A large crowd trailed behind, including many grief-stricken women (Luke 23:27; NLT).
7. Then the soldiers nailed him to the cross (Mark 15:24; NLT).
Jesus said, “Father, forgive them, for they don’t know what they are doing” (Luke 23:34; NLT).
8. My life is poured out like water, and all my bones are out of joint. My heart is like wax, melting within me. My strength has dried up like sunbaked clay. My tongue sticks to the roof of my mouth (Psalm 22:14-15; NLT).
My God, my God, why have you abandoned me? (Mark 15:34; NLT).
Then Jesus uttered another loud cry and breathed his last (Mark 15:37; NLT).
Surely he has borne our griefs
