A Prayer about the Prince of Hope
A Prayer about the Prince of Hope
Return to your stronghold, O prisoners of hope; today I will restore to you double. Zechariah 9:12
Holy Lord,
Zephaniah and Zechariah have fierce warnings for your people
about what will happen if they don’t repent of their rebellion
and turn back to you.
But these prophets also overflow with messages of your mercy
that leave us shaking our heads in wonder
at your gracious forgiveness.
This passage begins with the familiar promise
we hear at Easter:
“Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion!
Shout aloud, O daughter of Jerusalem!
Behold, your king is coming to you;
Righteous and having salvation is he,
Humble and mounted on a donkey” (Zechariah 9:9).
We recognize this king as Jesus, our great Prince of Peace.
As Pastor Scotty Smith says,
Jesus is the “Prince of Hope”
who brings the “Promise of Hope”
who paid the “Price of Hope”
that we might become “Prisoners of Hope.”
For all who find themselves in waterless pits
of worry, fear, or hopelessness today—
worried about children,
fearful about finances,
desperate for a cure,
hopeless about enslaving sin,
may this profoundly good news remind us
that in your mercy,
we can never escape hope.
You have redeemed us,
and you will continue to heal and help us
until the day of final restoration.
In Jesus’ Princely name. Amen.
Read Zechariah 9:1-17.
Elizabeth Reynolds Turnage
author, life and legacy coach, speaker
Elizabeth Reynolds Turnage is the author of Preparing for Glory: Biblical Answers to 40 Questions on Living and Dying in Hope of Heaven.
(affiliate link)
The Lord your God is in your midst, a mighty one who will save; he will rejoice over you with gladness; he will quiet you by his love; he will exult over you with loud singing. Zephaniah 3:17
Lord,
We believe; help our unbelief.
We believe you have already come into our midst
in the incarnation of Jesus Christ.
We believe you are a mighty one
who has already saved us from our sins
through the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ.
But in the next line of this magnificent verse,
we stutter and stumble.
We think that maybe you will rejoice in us
some day in the future
when we are more holy,
that you will love us
some day in the future
when we never sin again,
that you will exult in us with loud singing
some day in the future
when we’ve finally earned our way to heaven.
But that’s not what Scripture tells us.
The gospel good news
for all who trust in Jesus
is that right this minute,
you are rejoicing over us,
right this minute
you are quieting us with your love,
right this minute
and you are exulting over us with loud singing.
You saved us.
You love us.
You delight in us.
You sing extra-loud over us,
like the five-year-old who loves to sing
at the top of his lungs
because he’s so happy.
Help us today to sit quietly
and listen for the sound
of your delight in us,
and may that delight
change the way we live and love
today and every day.
In Jesus’ saving name. Amen.
Read Zephaniah 3:14-20.
Elizabeth Reynolds Turnage
author, life and legacy coach, speaker
Elizabeth Reynolds Turnage is the author of Preparing for Glory: Biblical Answers to 40 Questions on Living and Dying in Hope of Heaven.
(affiliate link)
