HOLY WEEK PRAYER GUIDE
A daily journey toward the Cross and the empty tomb
Saturday | Prepare
Scripture
Search me, O God, and know my heart;
try me and know my thoughts.
And see if there be any grievous way in me,
and lead me in the way everlasting.
-Psalm 139:23–24
Tonight begins our own week of preparation—preparing our lives to look toward the cross and the empty tomb.
As Jewish families prepared for Passover, they cleansed their homes and examined their hearts.
Pray Psalm 139:23-24
Sunday | Hosanna
Scripture​
Now when they drew near to Jerusalem and came to Bethphage, to the Mount of Olives, then Jesus sent two disciples, saying to them, “Go into the village in front of you, and immediately you will find a donkey tied, and a colt with her. Untie them and bring them to me. If anyone says anything to you, you shall say, ‘The Lord needs them,’ and he will send them at once.” This took place to fulfill what was spoken by the prophet, saying, “Say to the daughter of Zion, ‘Behold, your king is coming to you, humble, and mounted on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a beast of burden.’”
The disciples went and did as Jesus had directed them. They brought the donkey and the colt and put on them their cloaks, and he sat on them. Most of the crowd spread their cloaks on the road, and others cut branches from the trees and spread them on the road. And the crowds that went before him and that followed him were shouting, “Hosanna to the Son of David! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord! Hosanna in the highest!” And when he entered Jerusalem, the whole city was stirred up, saying, “Who is this?” And the crowds said, “This is the prophet Jesus, from Nazareth of Galilee.”
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-Matthew 21:1-11
Palm Sunday marks the beginning of Holy Week. Jesus enters Jerusalem as a humble King—not waging war against Rome but making peace with God through His sacrifice.
Pray: Father, thank You for Jesus our King. Thank You for sending Him to be our peace. Prepare our hearts this week to see Him clearly and know Him deeply. Help us understand the cost of our salvation and rejoice in Your faithful love.
Monday | Cleansed
Scripture​
And Jesus entered the temple and drove out all who sold and bought in the temple, and he overturned the tables of the money-changers and the seats of those who sold pigeons. He said to them, “It is written, ‘My house shall be called a house of prayer,’ but you make it a den of robbers.”
And the blind and the lame came to him in the temple, and he healed them. But when the chief priests and the scribes saw the wonderful things that he did, and the children crying out in the temple, “Hosanna to the Son of David!” they were indignant, and they said to him, “Do you hear what these are saying?” And Jesus said to them, “Yes; have you never read, “‘Out of the mouth of infants and nursing babies you have prepared praise’?”
And leaving them, he went out of the city to Bethany and lodged there.
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-Matthew 21:12-17
Jesus cleansed the temple—removing greed, corruption, and distraction from a place meant for worship. So often our own hearts, designed to glorify God, become cluttered with sin.
Pray-Father, forgive me of my sin. Reveal anything unconfessed and cleanse me completely. Thank You for the sacrifice of Jesus, whose blood washes my guilt. As we approach the empty tomb, make our hearts pure and our hands clean.
Tuesday | Questioned
Scripture​
And when he entered the temple, the chief priests and the elders of the people came up to him as he was teaching, and said, “By what authority are you doing these things, and who gave you this authority?” Jesus answered them, “I also will ask you one question, and if you tell me the answer, then I also will tell you by what authority I do these things. The baptism of John, from where did it come? From heaven or from man?” And they discussed it among themselves, saying, “If we say, ‘From heaven,’ he will say to us, ‘Why then did you not believe him?’ But if we say, ‘From man,’ we are afraid of the crowd, for they all hold that John was a prophet.” So they answered Jesus, “We do not know.” And he said to them, “Neither will I tell you by what authority I do these things.
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-Matthew 21:23-27
As families inspected their Passover lambs, Jesus—the true Lamb of God—was questioned by religious leaders. He was examined, challenged, tested… and found without blemish.
Pray-Father, thank You for the spotless Lamb. Thank You that He who knew no sin became sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God. Help us remember the great price paid for our forgiveness.
Wednesday | Patient Savior
Scripture​
Jesus left the temple and was going away, when his disciples came to point out to him the buildings of the temple. But he answered them, “You see all these, do you not? Truly, I say to you, there will not be left here one stone upon another that will not be thrown down.”
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-Matthew 24:1-2
Wednesday is a quiet day in the Gospel accounts. The disciples still misunderstood Jesus’ mission. Yet He was patient—teaching them that He came not to reform the temple, but to fulfill it. He would lay down His life and take it up again in three days.
Pray-Father, thank You for Your patience with me.
Continue transforming my heart, mind, and life. I repent of my slowness to understand and yield myself to Your work.
Your kindness leads me to repentance—shape me into the image of Christ.
Thursday | Remember
Scripture​
26 Now as they were eating, Jesus took bread, and after blessing it broke it and gave it to the disciples, and said, “Take, eat; this is my body.” 27 And he took a cup, and when he had given thanks he gave it to them, saying, “Drink of it, all of you, 28 for this is my blood of the[c] covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins. 29 I tell you I will not drink again of this fruit of the vine until that day when I drink it new with you in my Father's kingdom.”
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-Matthew 26:26-29
On the night before His death, Jesus shared the Passover meal with His disciples. He washed their feet, loved them to the end, and gave us the Lord’s Supper—His body and blood offered for our sins.
Pray-Father, thank You for the body given and the blood shed. Thank You for Jesus, who loved us to the end.
As we prepare for Communion, help us remember His sacrifice with open eyes, open ears, and open hearts.
Holy Spirit, make Christ precious to us tonight.
Friday | Crucified
Scripture​
As they went out, they found a man of Cyrene, Simon by name. They compelled this man to carry his cross. And when they came to a place called Golgotha (which means Place of a Skull), they offered him wine to drink, mixed with gall, but when he tasted it, he would not drink it. And when they had crucified him, they divided his garments among them by casting lots. Then they sat down and kept watch over him there. And over his head they put the charge against him, which read, “This is Jesus, the King of the Jews.” Then two robbers were crucified with him, one on the right and one on the left. And those who passed by derided him, wagging their heads and saying, “You who would destroy the temple and rebuild it in three days, save yourself! If you are the Son of God, come down from the cross.” So also the chief priests, with the scribes and elders, mocked him, saying, “He saved others; he cannot save himself. He is the King of Israel; let him come down now from the cross, and we will believe in him. He trusts in God; let God deliver him now, if he desires him. For he said, ‘I am the Son of God.’” And the robbers who were crucified with him also reviled him in the same way.
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-Matthew 27:32-44
Good Friday. The Lamb of God is lifted up. Jesus, falsely accused, beaten, and crucified, willingly bore the wrath of God for our sins.
He was in complete control—even in suffering.
Pray-Father, thank You for the cross. Thank You for the perfect, spotless Lamb. Help us never take this sacrifice for granted. Forgive us for our distractions and indifference.
Thank You that by His wounds we are healed and that sin and death have been defeated forever.
Saturday | Wait
Scripture​
The quiet day between the cross and the empty tomb—full of questions, fear, and uncertainty. A day between promise and fulfillment. Waiting is hard.
When it was evening, there came a rich man from Arimathea, named Joseph, who also was a disciple of Jesus. He went to Pilate and asked for the body of Jesus. Then Pilate ordered it to be given to him. And Joseph took the body and wrapped it in a clean linen shroud and laid it in his own new tomb, which he had cut in the rock. And he rolled a great stone to the entrance of the tomb and went away. Mary Magdalene and the other Mary were there, sitting opposite the tomb.
The next day, that is, after the day of Preparation, the chief priests and the Pharisees gathered before Pilate and said, “Sir, we remember how that impostor said, while he was still alive, ‘After three days I will rise.’ Therefore order the tomb to be made secure until the third day, lest his disciples go and steal him away and tell the people, ‘He has risen from the dead,’ and the last fraud will be worse than the first.”Pilate said to them, “You have a guard of soldiers. Go, make it as secure as you can.” So they went and made the tomb secure by sealing the stone and setting a guard.
-Matthew 27:57-66
Pray-Lord, teach us to wait. Teach us to trust what we cannot see. Thank You that the story does not end in silence or sorrow. Your promises are sure, and Sunday is coming. All Your promises find their Yes and Amen in Jesus.
Sunday | Alive
Scripture​
Now after the Sabbath, toward the dawn of the first day of the week, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary went to see the tomb. And behold, there was a great earthquake, for an angel of the Lord descended from heaven and came and rolled back the stone and sat on it. His appearance was like lightning, and his clothing white as snow. And for fear of him the guards trembled and became like dead men. But the angel said to the women, “Do not be afraid, for I know that you seek Jesus who was crucified. He is not here, for he has risen, as he said. Come, see the place where he[a] lay. Then go quickly and tell his disciples that he has risen from the dead, and behold, he is going before you to Galilee; there you will see him. See, I have told you.” So they departed quickly from the tomb with fear and great joy, and ran to tell his disciples. And behold, Jesus met them and said, “Greetings!” And they came up and took hold of his feet and worshiped him. Then Jesus said to them, “Do not be afraid; go and tell my brothers to go to Galilee, and there they will see me.”
-Matthew 28:1-10
Resurrection Sunday. The stone is rolled away. Death has lost its sting. Jesus lives—and because He lives, we have hope, power, and eternal life.
Pray-Father, thank you for the empty tomb. Thank you for salvation through the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus. Thank you for that same power that raised Christ now lives in me.b Teach us to walk in resurrection power and boldly share this good news with the world.