A Prayer to Remember God’s Faithfulness at Passover
By Lynette Kittle
Bible Reading:
“And when your children ask you, ‘What does this ceremony mean to you?’ then tell them, ‘It is the Passover sacrifice to the Lord, who passed over the houses of the Israelites in Egypt and spared our homes when He struck down the Egyptians.’ Then the people bowed down and worshiped” - Exodus 12:26-27
Read or Listen Below:
God called the Jewish people to observe Passover, a symbolic celebration with a sacrificial lamb foretelling the coming Messiah, the Lamb of God, to be sacrificed for the sins of the world. Passover, or Pesach in Hebrew, begins each year on the 15th day of the Hebrew month, Nisan, falling in March or April. It remembers and celebrates God passing over the Israelites’ firstborn during the final of the ten plagues visiting Egypt, leading up to their exodus from Egyptian bondage and slavery.
“This is a day you are to commemorate; for the generations to come, you shall celebrate it as a festival to the Lord—a lasting ordinance (Exodus 12:14).
God gave very specific instructions concerning the sacrificial blood of the lamb. “Then they are to take some of the blood and put it on the sides and tops of the doorframes of the houses where they eat the lambs” (Exodus 12:7). He instructed Israel, “On that same night, I will pass through Egypt and strike down every firstborn of both people and animals, and I will bring judgment on all the gods of Egypt. I am the Lord. The blood will be a sign for you on the houses where you are, and when I see the blood, I will pass over you. No destructive plague will touch you when I strike Egypt.”(Exodus 12:12-13).
Passover’s Result
As God foretold, “At midnight, the Lord struck down all the firstborn in Egypt, from the firstborn of Pharaoh, who sat on the throne, to the firstborn of the prisoner, who was in the dungeon, and the firstborn of all the livestock as well. Pharaoh and all his officials and all the Egyptians got up during the night, and there was loud wailing in Egypt, for there was not a house without someone dead” (Exodus 12:29-30).
After the Passover, the Egyptians couldn’t rid themselves fast enough of the Jews. “During the night, Pharaoh summoned Moses and Aaron and said, ‘Up! Leave my people, you and the Israelites! Go, worship the Lord as you have requested. Take your flocks and herds, as you have said, and go. And also bless me” (Exodus 12:31-32).
Through the sacrificial lamb’s blood, Passover revealed God’s power over life and death. “The Egyptians urged the people to hurry and leave the country. ‘For otherwise,’ they said, ‘we will all die!’” (Exodus 12:33).
Jesus’ Role in Passover
Jesus, too, observed Passover while living on earth, as recorded in the New Testament, knowing what was to come. “It was just before the Passover Festival. Jesus knew that the hour had come for Him to leave this world and go to the Father. Having loved His own who were in the world, He loved them to the end” (John 13:1). John the Baptist understood, too, as recorded in John 1:29, “The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him and said, ‘Look, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!’”
The crucifixion of Jesus occurred during Passover, fulfilling the prophecy. As Christians, we remember the faithfulness of God to all who placed the blood of the sacrificial lamb across their doorposts, of how God spared them from death, and how through the blood of Jesus’ sacrifice, we are spared from death, too. Remembering Passover prepares our hearts to celebrate Easter by remembering how the blood of Jesus covers our sins and frees us from death everlasting.
Passover gives us reasons to rejoice, reminding us how our Passover Lamb, our Messiah, has come! “And by that will, we have been made holy through the sacrifice of the body of Jesus Christ once for all” (Hebrews 10:10).
Let’s Pray:
Dear Father, We praise You for Your faithfulness in saving us through all generations! Thank you for passing over the Israelites’ homes that were covered by the sacrificial lamb’s blood, a foretelling of the Lamb of God, Jesus, and His blood sacrifice covering the sins of the world. Hebrews 10:14 reminds us, "For by one sacrifice He has made perfect forever those who are being made holy.” We are deeply grateful to You for loving us and sending Your Son, the perfect sacrifice, to redeem us and give us everlasting life. Soften our hearts today and every day to remember Your faithfulness and tell others what You have done for us. In Jesus’ name, Amen
Photo Credit: ©GettyImages/photovs
Lynette Kittle is married with four daughters. She enjoys writing about faith, marriage, parenting, relationships, and life. Her writing has been published by Focus on the Family, Decision, Today’s Christian Woman, kirkcameron.com, Ungrind.org, StartMarriageRight.com, and more. She has a M.A. in Communication from Regent University and serves as associate producer for Soul Check TV.
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