5 Prayers for the Celebration of Passover
- Jennifer Heeren Crosswalk.com Contributing Writer
- Updated Apr 23, 2024
The Hebrew Passover meal, also known as a Seder meal, is always celebrated on the 15th day of Nissan on the Hebrew calendar. Since the modern calendar is different from the Hebrew one, it seems like Passover is celebrated on different days each year, but it is always celebrated on the 15th day of Nissan whenever that falls on the modern calendar. This year (2022) Passover will be celebrated on Friday, April 15th through Saturday, April 23rd.
The traditional Passover meal includes four cups of wine or grape juice, vegetables dipped in saltwater, flat cracker-like bread called matzah, bitter herbs, and a mixture of nuts, apples, and pears. Stories are told and hymns are sung throughout the celebratory evening.
Passover is an extremely significant event for all believers. Let’s look at why it is so significant, and then I will share 5 Passover prayers to lift up to God throughout this celebration.
Why Is Passover So Significant?
The first Passover is scripted out in Exodus 12. While the Israelites were still slaves in the land of Egypt, the Lord told Moses and Aaron that each family was to choose a lamb or a young goat for a sacrifice. The animal selected should be a one-year-old male with no defects. After the sacrifice, they were to smear some of the blood on the sides and top of the doorframes of their homes. Then they roasted the meat over a fire and ate it along with bitter salad greens and bread made without yeast. Later that night, the Lord passed over the land of Egypt and struck down every firstborn son and male animal, except the homes where blood was on the doorposts. Those people would be spared or passed over. The Lord’s plague of death would not harm them.
The Lord also told the Israelites to celebrate Passover every year after that as a special festival. For seven days before, they would eat only bread made without yeast. During the festival, all yeast should be removed from their homes. On the first and seventh day of the festival, they will observe an official day for holy assembly. No work can be done on those days except to prepare the food. These festivities will remind them of the time that the Lord brought them out of the land of Egypt. Part of this ceremony includes telling the children the story of the first Passover when the Israelites were spared of the tragedy.
Soon after this first Passover, Pharaoh told Moses and Aaron to gather the Israelites and leave their country. They were free from the slavery that had entrapped them for 430 years.
Years later, on the night before Jesus’s crucifixion, Jesus celebrated Passover with His disciples (John 13). Ceremonial washing of hands is a fixture of Jewish celebrations. Jesus took this further and knelt down to wash all of His disciples’ feet. They didn’t understand but He told them, “Unless I wash you, you don’t belong to Me.” Jesus also told them that He was giving them an example to follow. Serving other people is a mandate to live by and God blesses those who follow His example.
Also, during the Passover meal (Matthew 26:17-30), Jesus took some of the bread, blessed it, broke it into pieces, and gave it to the disciples, saying, “Take this and eat it. It is my body.” Then He took a cup of wine, gave thanks, passed it to them, and said, “Each of you drink. This is my blood, and it confirms the covenant between God and His people. It is poured out as a sacrifice to forgive the sins of many.”
Here are five Passover prayers to truly appreciate this ritual and give glory to the work that God has done through the sacrificing of his Son:
A Prayer to Begin Passover
Begin by saying a kiddush benediction. Kiddush means sanctification. You need to set this meal apart from regular meals. It is a special meal to glorify God.
Dear Lord, thank you for bringing the Israelites out of slavery in Egypt. As I take a bite of bitter herbs, may I remember the suffering and persecution that the Israelite slaves in Egypt lived through. Then, as I take a bite of the sweet fruit mixture, may I also remember how God was faithful to bring them out of that slavery. This freedom from literal slavery is also a prequel to God sending His own Son as a sacrifice for our sins. Through Jesus, we are freed from the slavery of our own sin. Thank you, Jesus, for being our Passover lamb. Amen.
A Prayer to Appreciate Passover
In the middle of the Passover celebration, the children ask many questions because they are wondering why this night is different from other nights. The Haggadah is read, which is the story of the Exodus from Egypt or the journey from slavery to freedom. One generation talks about the faithfulness of God to the next generation.
The traditional Passover meal also includes a hard-boiled egg dipped in saltwater. This is a symbol of mourning and reminds them that this meal lacks a sacrificial lamb. This is a tradition of the Old Testament by people looking forward to God’s salvation. But now we are living under the New Testament where Jesus became that sacrificial Lamb.
Dear God, thank you that the sacrifice and blood of a male lamb with no defect allowed You to pass over the Israelite homes as you cursed the Egyptians. That sacrifice helps me to see the specialness of Jesus’s sacrifice even clearer. He was the spotless Lamb of God that willingly sacrificed Himself to atone for my many sins. I could never earn your mercy, forgiveness, and grace, but I was given it freely. Amen.
A Prayer to Bless This Passover
Dear Jesus, thank you for celebrating Passover over 2,000 years ago on the night before your crucifixion. Thank you that your body was broken for me. And your blood was poured out for me. I don’t take this lightly. It was an incredible gift of sacrifice and forgiveness. You were broken so that I could be made whole. May deep gratitude overflow my heart for what You have done. Amen.
A Passover Prayer of Gratitude of Being Washed Clean from Sin
After the Passover meal, a cup is filled with wine for the Prophet Elijah and a door is opened to invite him inside. Tradition says that the Prophet Elijah will usher in the coming of the Messiah. Then John the Baptist came in the spirit of Elijah and ushered in the Kingdom of God (Matthew 11:13-14). His message was repent and be baptized and therefore cleansed of your sin.
Dear Lord, before You cleansed me, I had to live with the stain of my sin. A stain that could never be removed by human effort. I lived under the curse of shame, remorse, and regret. But even worse than that, sometimes I lived under the folly of relishing in my sin. But then You washed me of all sin—past, present, and future. Now, Your Spirit within me leads me to repent and teaches me how to live in order to glorify You and Your ways. I am truly free because you have cleansed me. Amen.
A Prayer to Conclude the Passover Celebration
Just as Jesus took the bread, broke it, blessed it, and gave it, may I be broken of my pride so that my life can be a blessing and given for others. To the glory of God. Amen.
The response at the end of each Passover meal is the Hallel, which means praise. Psalm 118:21 summarizes this praise:
I thank you for answering my prayer and giving me victory!
God indeed gives us victory when we humble ourselves under His mighty hand. Make a point to lift up these Passover prayers this year and remember how powerful God’s victory is still!
Photo Credit: Wavebreakmedia
