It is Finished but its not OVER - Good Friday

Good Friday!!

Being from India, its really funny when people come and wish you " Happy Good Friday".. I used to find it really odd at school and would very promptly correct them saying that they were'nt supposed to wish anyone on Good Friday.. and that too "Happy Good Friday".....Sounded so ridiculous.. so naive...Was it not a day of mourning?? Was it not a day to be serious and fast??? But when years passed by , i wondered whether I was being naive about it..

Good Friday is a day of celebration!... a day of deliverance of our sins......It is HAPPY......

The church service on this day is usually confined to the 7 words spoken on the Cross....and there is no doubt that , that is the essence of that day and every interpretation of those words hold so much meaning for us....

I imagine the Gospel writers standing below the cross and mentally noting down these words as they were uttered...so that we, after 2000 yrs will still know what happened on that fateful day.. They could have just noted down the atrocities done and then quickly wrapped up the death part. But they went to this amount of detail so that we could LIVE it as if we were standing there and witnessing the crucification.. all this to be abe to experience that Friday long ago and understand what it meant dying for us....

Apart from the meaning of the 7 sentences spoken on the cross, what i would like to take back is

1. Sacrifice --- He sacrificed so that we may know the meaning of that word. Sacrifice not only for the people He knew but for the countless people on earth.....I usually find myself smiling smugly or feeling elated at the thought of doing a sacrifice.. i feel that i have done something victorious and that i shoudl be appreciated for it by man and God... that i shoudl be rewarded for being sensitive and generous. but thats got to change... Everytime I sacrifice, i would want to remind myself that no sacrifice is too great....

2. Not leaving the Father -- Come what may, i will not leave the Lord's side... with the last breath that He had left, He chose to call out to His father.... He started with calling out to his Father and tilll the end clung on to Him...When Jesus was baptised, God spoke out and said that He was pleased with His son.. why did'nt He speak again from the clouds when Jesus was actually doing the ultimate thing to please Him...That woudl have been so motivating for Him.. to get an anwer from heaven .. a word of acknowledgment or a pep talk... But thre was silence......Jesus still clung on ... with no hopes for last minute rescue missions or a thunderous applause from the skies.... He just clung on...... I got to learn that from Him.. Cling on..... no matter what.. Easier to cling on to HIm than break your brains (and others) on thinking of what to do...

2. Sad days are actually Happy days ---- When Jesus died that day,all those who belilved in the prophesy knew that Jesus would rise again.. they wer'nt sad that Jesus was going to die .. they were eager for the joy and happiness when they knew that the Saviour would rise again.. they looked upon the Propheesy as a promise.. a promise that had to come to pass. This continues still.. During my supposidly sad days, i am not going to be sad.. for i would want to be more eager to know what joy lies ahead of this pain.. There is a prophesy that needs to be fulfilled..the prophesy is very much any promise that comes from the Bible to me.... The one that should currently keep me going is

Genesis 1:22God blessed them and said, "Be fruitful and increase in number and fill the water in the seas, and let the birds increase on the earth."

When i feel disappointed or sad, or dejected...., i want to remind myself that it may have finished but its not over...

When ye pray, use not vain repetitions -Matthew 6:5-8

I have often wondered, when Jesus himself gave a model prayer to use in the Gospel of Matthew, why do we still speak numerous words and more so repetitive words everyday when we bow our heads in prayer?

Then I thought harder and I know that the Lord helped me understand this. The Lord's prayer is composed of words , simple enough that could be passed through the ages without corrupting or convultaing its meaning. But more than words, it was also a "pattern" for mankind to know what a "perfect" prayer could be..


Praise, surrender, obedience, supplication ,confessions, abstinence, Praise.

The Lord's prayer was a good guideline then and a good guideline now.

Did you notice one important part missing from this pattern. Something that we are taught in sunday schools and what all preachers do? Yes, its Thanksgiving. That is the most spontanous part of PRAYER. That is what extends the meaning of Prayer to "talking with the Lord". Many verses in the Bible ask us to pray in Thanks and Praise and Faith. This is necessary to know Jesus more personally and tell him the happenings of the day. The Lord's prayer is Perfect because HE gave it to us. He did not include Thanksgiving...But thats the whole point... Thanksgiving in prayer is something that we give back to Him without Him asking for it! Does'nt it feel great to give something to a person when that person least expects it?

Even if your pattern of prayer is Thanks Thanks Thanks Thanks Thanks , He is going to be one pleased Father...

I really do not agree when people pray about the same thing everyday. I have done it too. Does God need so much follow up?

You have made your needs known to Him. Trust is the next thing. Trust that all things will come to be by His will.

When you ask , ask it with all your heart. Just like talking to a friend or your parents. Do you go about reminding them everyday till they give it to you?

But yes, if there is someone critically ill, you pray for that person and everyday you narrate the hardships the person is going through and pray for that person again. Thsi is not repetitive .This is talking to God and updating Him on the situation.

As if He does not know , you may ask.... But He loves to hear it from you.. just like an over indulgent parent..... Just like when we usually go home from a tired day at school, pour out all the days happenings to our loved ones... an update on the annual day function, complaints about the new math teacher, an outcome of a test, a lie that you could not avoid, thanking them for the new pen that wrote so smoothly etc etc.. And when you are done talking, you feel a sense of peace.. Its the same way with prayer i guess.

Pour out your heart to Him.. tell him what you read in the newspapers and what happened in office today.. make it interesting for Him !!!! and dont forget the Perfect Pattern....cause that is what reminds you that you are talking to a Perfect being and that my friends is an Honour!!

One more thing. You can have the liberty of praying anywhere and anytime...When you have the time, you can be well assured that He makes Himself readily available.



http://www.allaboutprayer.org/what-is-prayer.htm