A Prayer about Jesus Opening Our Minds
“Everything written about me in the Law of Moses and the Prophets and the Psalms must be fulfilled.” Then he [Jesus] opened their minds to understand the Scriptures, and said to them, “Thus it is written, that the Christ should suffer and on the third day rise from the dead, and that repentance and forgiveness of sins should be proclaimed in his name to all nations, beginning from Jerusalem.” (Luke 24:44–47)
Lord Jesus, I’ve always considered myself to be pretty open-minded. Yet as I meditate on this remarkable scene in Luke’s Gospel, I realize I’m not nearly as open- minded as you intend. For myself and for my friends, I ask, help us to see you everywhere in the Bible, Jesus. Enable us to read the law of Moses, the Prophets, and the psalms with you clearly in view.
For years I thought of the law only as a bunch of rules and principles by which I could earn God’s favor and blessings, or at least micromanage my life for greater success. Now I understand that the law was given to drive us to you, Jesus. It was never given as a basis of my acceptance with God. You’ve fulfilled the law for us by your perfect obedience, and you’ve exhausted its judgment by your death on the cross. I wish I’d understood this earlier in my walk with you.
I used to read the Prophets with a fear of judgment and great intrigue about the future of Israel. Now I realize that all of God’s promises point to you, Jesus. You are the “Yes” and “Amen” to every promise God has made. The gospel of your kingdom claims the entire cosmos, not just the Middle East— not just Jerusalem but the New Jerusalem as well.
I’ve always loved the Psalms, but until recent years, I read them more with an appreciation for David than with adoration for you, Jesus. But you are the King in- stalled by your Father, the one who inherits the nations and the ends of the earth (Ps. 2). Indeed, Jesus, continue to open our minds to understand how the entire Bible is a revelation of the gospel— the story of God’s commitment to redeem his people and restore the world by you . . . and through us. Show us more of you and our place in your story. We pray in your peerless name.
Amen.