Palm Sunday Prayer: The symbolism of the palms and donkey
A message & prayer from Pastor Harvey
As we know Palm Sunday commemorates Jesus’ triumphal entry into Jerusalem on a donkey, where He was greeted by crowds waving palm branches, as they laid their cloaks and palm branches on the ground, shouting and singing part of Psalm 118:25-26 “Hosanna to the Son of David, Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord! The King of Israel, Hosanna in the highest!” Which prophetically fulfilled Zechariah 9:9Rejoice greatly, O Daughter of Zion! Shout, Daughter of Jerusalem! See, your King comes to you, righteous, and having salvation, gentle and riding on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a donkey.
The name Hosanna comes from the Hebrew word meaning “save now” or “save us we pray.” And acknowledgement that Jesus is the Messiah.
The symbolism of a donkey may refer to an Eastern tradition it was an animal of peace, unlike the horse, which was an animal of war, signifying Christ arrived in peace. It also represented humility and meekness.
Palm Branches symbolized triumph and victory and at the time it was customary to cover in some way the path of someone thought worthy of highest honor. Also, in ancient Egyptian tradition, the palm was carried in funeral processions and represented eternal life, and the martyrs palm was later used as a symbol of Christians faith as spiritual victory or triumph over death.
Father, we thank You, for entering our life with triumph and victory over sin and death at the cross., We thank You that Your name is the name above all names and on this Palm Sunday we lay down the palms of our hearts and bow the cloaks of our lives in surrendering to the King of kings.
When times get hard, help us to understand we already have victory in You, Jesus. Help us to model Your walk in humility, peace and love. Give us strength, courage, and endurance to follow Your path.
When we are at our lowest You are at Your highest, and so today and forever more, we shout from the rooftops, “Hosanna in the highest, Hosanna in the highest” and with palm branches in our hands we declare Your word with a loud voice, “Salvation belongs to our God who sits on the throne, and to the lamb. In Jesus name.
Amen.