READING: Judges 9-11, Psalm 17, Luke 23
Jesus, the Son of God, died with prayer on His lips. He prayed from His cross for those who were murdering Him, and He then cried out to the Father as He died, “Father, into your hands I entrust my spirit” (Luke 23:46). His dying this way should not surprise us, though, because Luke’s Gospel shows us that prayer marked Jesus’ life. He prayed at His baptism as He started His ministry. He prayed as He trained His disciples. He left the crowds behind to spend time with the Father. Prayer was in His DNA—and His talking to the Father was as natural at His death as it was during His life.
That’s the way it is with prayerful saints, too. I’ve been with dying believers whose lives were marked by faithfulness, obedience, and prayer—and they sometimes were whispering prayers as the Lord called them home. It all made sense, though. It was natural for them to pray at their death, for it was normal for them to pray in life. There was a sweetness to their speaking with God at their death that still brings me to peaceful tears today.
That’s the way I want to be praying when I take my last breath—praying not because it’s my last breath, but because prayer has been my breath.
PRAYER: “Lord, I ask You again to keep teaching me to pray. “
TOMORROW’S READING: Judges 12-16, Psalm 146, Luke 24