a Good Friday poem

the finished work
©3-25-16 hannah mclean

“it is finished”
rose His sigh
Jesus the Christ
was crucified
oh sorrow at
man’s pure disgrace
when Father
turned away His face
even the sun
refused to shine
upon the blood
of the Divine

holy flesh
became a curse
the first made last
the last made first
the wages of
the sin of man
poured from His wounds
red rivers ran
that all may look
upon the cross
and touch the blood
and grieve the loss
to see the crown
the glory shine
from every thorn
in the Divine

oh death
where is your victory?
conquered by Him
upon the tree
that sinners destined
twice to die
may live with Him
the by and by

my friends, i plead
come stand beside
the Lord of Mercy’s
riven side
and let His blood
upon you flow
and wash your soul
as white as snow

"Pray Like Jesus"

I had the opportunity to share this in church today:

When Jared sent me a letter asking me to consider how I was furthering the kingdom of God to possibly share a testimony, my first thought was, “I’m a homemaker who doesn’t know how to do evangelism. Why did he send this to me?”

And then I considered what the letter he sent really said...(paraphrasing) “I see you have a heart for the Lord and your life reflects a desire to further the Kingdom.” And instead of dismissing the letter as a mistake, I knew that my heart is indeed for the Lord and that I truly desire and pursue the furthering of His kingdom. And while it is true that I don’t know how to “evangelize” per se, and while it is true I am a homemaker with 3 wiggly little girls whose primary call at the moment is to my home and to raise up my children in the Way they should go, it is also true that I am furthering the kingdom of God...and my main avenue is through intercession.

Today’s theme is “Pray Like Jesus.”

Luke 22:41-44 speaks of Jesus in prayer:
“And He withdrew from them about a stone’s throw and knelt and prayed, saying, ‘Father, if You are willing, remove this cup from me. Nevertheless, not my will, but Yours, be done.’ And there appeared to him an angel from heaven, strengthening Him. And being in an agony He prayed more earnestly; and his sweat became like great drops of blood falling to the ground.”

At the end of every day, I tuck my girls in their beds. I ask the Lord to fill them with wisdom; I ask Him to root them deeply in the Truth; I ask Him to make them women of faith, women of prayer, women of conviction; I pray their lives would honor Him and that they would be used mightily for the furthering of His kingdom and the glory of His name. We put on the armor of God together, and I leave them with a kiss.

And then, almost every night, I go downstairs to my prayer room, and I curl up on the couch with my bible and my prayer shawl and my journal and the Lord. And I pray. And I might not be in a place where I can be out on the streets handing blankets to the homeless, or on a rocking chair in an orphanage feeding a motherless child a bottle of milk, or in government changing laws for justice, or distributing antivirals to those infected by AIDS...but on my knees, I travel the world in prayer. In prayer, I kneel outside a Buddhist temple in Myanmar and weep for the salvation of the lost who enter in; I kneel beside the bed of a sex-trafficking victim crying out for the wounds on her body and heart; I kneel in a prison beside my brother-in-the-Lord who desperately needs encouragement and sing the love of Jesus over his aching spirit; I kneel in the streets of cities overrun by the hostilities of those in opposition to the gospel and seek peace on their behalf; I kneel in auditoriums before events preparing the way for the gospel to meet the ears of those who will be in attendance; I kneel in hospital rooms with the sick and their families pursuing healing; in prayer, I kneel in the darkest places of the world and bring the Light of Jesus there. In prayer, I feel sorrow that isn’t mine, pain that isn’t mine, joy that isn’t mine, love that isn’t mine as the Father’s heart beats in my hands and flows from my lips.

When I come to the Lord in prayer; I lay down my will and pick up His...as Jesus did.

I pray with earnest and perseverance...as Jesus did.

I have learned that prayer is about relationship and I am learning to pray from a place of identity...as Jesus did.

I align with the Father’s heart...as Jesus did.

I labor for the kingdom in prayer...as Jesus did and as He does.

And I may never see the fruit of my intercession this side of eternity...but Jesus does.