8 Prayers for Holy Week
Say these prayers for each day of the Holy Week, experiencing Jesus’ journey to the cross one day at a time, to prepare your heart to celebrate Easter.
If you’re a believer who is looking to deepen your relationship with the Lord and be intentional about the days leading up to Easter, these prayers for Holy Week are a great way to do just that.
Each of these prayers is focused on a specific day of Holy Week and will provide you with some background on what took place on those days. This is a great way to reflect on what Jesus went through and prepare Your heart to celebrate His victory over sin and the grave.
8 Holy Week Prayers
1. A Prayer For Palm Sunday of Worship – Hosanna!
The first day of Holy Week is Palm Sunday. This day celebrates Jesus’ entry into Jerusalem and fulfills the prophecy found in Zechariah 9:9-12 which speaks of Jesus’ triumphant entry into Jerusalem.
In verse 9 we read, “Rejoice greatly, Daughter Zion! Shout, Daughter Jerusalem! See, your king comes to you, righteous and victorious, lowly and riding on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a donkey.”
This day is a reminder of the day people laid palm branches before Jesus, as a way to honor Christ as King, as He humbly rode into the city on a donkey.
Heavenly Father,
Just as those who shouted Hosanna as they watched Jesus’ triumphant entry into Jerusalem, I cannot help but do the same! On this Palm Sunday, I am reminded of the road You walked that ultimately led to Your sacrifice on our behalf.
I praise You, Jesus, blessed are You who came in the name of the Lord. You paved the way for us and made a way for us who were once far off to come near. You truly set captives free, of which I am one of them.
Thank You for Your humble example that You showed us, and for laying Your life down, so that we might do the same, and find new life in You. May my life forever be filled with praise for Your name, and Your wonderful works. In Jesus’ name, amen.
2. A Prayer For Holy Monday of Jesus’ Holiness (Cleansing The Temple)
The events that took place on the Monday of Holy Week can sometimes come as a surprise to those who read it for the first time.
We see Jesus’ indignation at those who wrongfully use the Temple for their own gain, and how He deals with them by clearing them out Himself.
The Temple which was meant to be a place of worship, had been corrupted by money changers. Jesus’ zeal for His Father’s House was clear, and He says to them in Luke 19:46, “My house will be a house of prayer; but you have made it a den of robbers.”
Lord,
It is so easy to think of those who corrupted the temple during Your time on earth and feel as though we are in a place to judge them. Yet, there are so many ways and times that we do not honor the temple that You have given us today, and forget that we are not our own.
Just as Jesus was zealous about the temple, and making sure that it is not corrupted, help me to honor You with my body, the temple which You have given me. Forgive me for the times when I have grieved Your Holy Spirit, and lived in ways that gratify the flesh, rather than those which glorify You.
I ask that You would make in me a clean heart, and cleanse anything in me that is not honoring You. Remove any sense of self-gain from my heart, and draw me closer to You. In Jesus’ name, amen.
3. A Prayer For Holy Tuesday of Faithfulness (the Fig Tree)
The next day is the day that Jesus curses a fig tree, and immediately it withers to the root. Here Jesus teaches us about the power of faithful prayers, and how a life of fruitlessness will ultimately lead to judgment.
In the same way that Jesus expected Israel to bear fruit, He has given us who are a part of His covenant people, that same instruction.
Lord,
Your Word says that You are the vine and we are the branches. We cannot grow if we do not abide in You. We are absolutely fruitless when we turn from You, and forget that You are our source of life.
But You call us to bear fruit, and not any kind of fruit but good fruit. Though we may claim to be one type of tree, our fruit ultimately reveals what we really believe and what is important to us.
May my life be rooted in You, and bear fruit that is pleasing to You. Help me to grow in faithfulness, in following Christ, and abiding in Your Word. In Jesus’ name, amen.
4. A Prayer For Holy (or Spy) Wednesday of Broken Relationships (Judas’ Betrayal)
As the week progresses and we draw near to the events of the cross, the betrayal of Jesus by one of His disciples, Judas Iscariot takes place.
Though it is not entirely certain, most scholars believe Wednesday may have been the day that Judas would have spoken with the Sanhedrin, and betrayed Jesus for 30 pieces of silver.
This day would not only be significant because of the betrayal of Judas, but it is also the day that Jesus was anointed for burial by a woman with an alabaster jar of very expensive perfume, which she poured on His head as He reclined at the table.
Lord Jesus,
As I ponder what You went through this week, I think of how You set Your face like a flint, and despite the betrayal and false accusations You faced, You did not forget the purpose for which You came. Nor did You forget to commit Yourself to the Father, who is faithful.
You submitted Yourself to the will of the Father and endured so much suffering for our sake. There is no other way for us to thank You for all You have done than to live lives that are submitted to Your will, even and especially in times of suffering or persecution. In Jesus’ name, amen.
5. A Prayer For Maundy Thursday of Communion (The Last Supper)
The Thursday of Holy Week is often referred to as “Maundy Thursday.” The term Maundy is a ceremony of washing the feet of the poor, this especially commemorates Jesus’ washing of His disciples’ feet on the Thursday leading to Easter Sunday.
During this same time, Jesus shared the Passover Feast with His disciples, and we know this meal as the Last Supper. This would be the last time Jesus spends time with all of the original twelve disciples together.
This would have been Jesus’ last supper with His disciples before He went to the garden of Gethsemane to pray, be arrested, judged, and crucified for the sins of the world.
Dear Lord,
Even in Your last moments You humbled Yourself and lived by example. Though You had all the right to demand kingly treatment, instead You became the Servant King, who did not come to be served but to serve.
Please forgive us for the many times we expect to be served, rather than being zealous to serve others. Just as You washed the feet of Your disciples, I pray that You would help us to humble ourselves, and serve one another.
Thank You for being the Passover Lamb who satisfied the wrath of God, and once and for all paid the full debt for our sins. Even in the hardest moments, You submitted Yourself to the will of the Father, and we can only pray that You help us to do the same in our lives. In Jesus’ name, amen.
6. A Prayer For Good Friday For Pain & Heartache (Jesus’ Crucifixion)
The final hours before Jesus’ crucifixion and death takes place is on Good Friday. It records the gruesome details of Jesus’ beatings, mocking, and ultimately nailing to the cross.
But Jesus did not die on the cross against His own will. He says in John 10:18 that “no one takes His life from Him, but He lays it down of His own accord. He has authority to lay it down and authority to take it up again.”
We see Jesus on the verge of death commit His Spirit to the Father before He breathes out His final breath, and accomplished what He has set out to do by dying on the cross for our sin.
Good Friday would have been the most painful, enduring, and gruesome day for the Lord. Despite the pain and agony, Jesus felt on the cross, He chose to die for our sins because of His great love for us.
Dear Jesus,
It is so hard to fathom what You experienced as You were led through the crowds, beaten, mocked, humiliated, and nailed to the cross.
You felt every lash, and the piercing of each nail through Your flesh, yet You did not turn away but endured the cross for the joy set before You.
Everything You experienced was meant for me, yet You paid the penalty for my sin, and have broken the bonds of sin and shame over my life. Thank You, Jesus, for the cross, and Your sacrifice. Help me to live each day, offering my life as a living sacrifice for You. In Jesus’ name, amen.
Click here for more Good Friday Prayers.
7. A Prayer For Holy Saturday Of Grief & Waiting (Jesus In The Tomb)
The day after Good Friday is often referred to as Holy Saturday. This is the day between Jesus’ crucifixion and His resurrection. Many thought that Jesus was defeated on Good Friday, and would have been discouraged and filled with sorrow.
Yet, God was far from done. On Saturday, Jesus’ body would have been in the tomb of Joseph of Arimathea. Leaving many to wonder what it all meant for them, and the hope that they had.
Father,
Your Word says that You so loved the world that You sent Your only begotten Son into the world, so that those who believe in Him would not perish but have eternal life.
Though the crucifixion may have seemed like a defeat from the outside, it was accomplishing the exact purpose that You sent Jesus to complete.
I cannot imagine the waiting and anticipation that those who were there must have felt, and perhaps the hopelessness, yet I am grateful to know that the crucifixion is a part of Christ’s victory over sin and death. In Jesus’ name, amen.
8. A Prayer For Easter Sunday, Celebrating Jesus’ Resurrection
The long and weighty days of Holy Week do not end with Jesus in the grave, but rather with a risen Jesus! Sunday, which is known as Easter Sunday celebrates Jesus’ resurrection from the grave and ultimate defeat not only of sin but also of death.
Through Christ, we are not only freed from the slavery of sin, and its punishment, which is death both physically and spiritually. But we are also given new life and eternal life. A life that goes beyond the current world we know, and that no one can take away from us.
On Resurrection Sunday we celebrate Jesus’ victory and share our gratitude for being able to be partakers in what He has done.
Lord,
What a blessing it is to know that sin and death had no hold on You. You did what none of us could do, and that is to keep the perfect law of God and to be without sin. You became the perfect sacrifice and sanctified us through Your blood.
Thank You for Your selfless sacrifice on the cross. Thank You for saving us from the impending doom of our sin, and for making a way to reconcile us to the Father.
We can rejoice each day knowing that our Redeemer lives and that we not only get to live with You each day but will live with You for all eternity. Thank You, God, for this gift of life. In Jesus’ name, amen.
Read more Easter Prayers Here.
