At Easter we find a resurrected Christ. After a contemplative observance of Lent, it seems fair to pray for a sort of resurrection of our own lives–a deliverance from the desert, if you will.

A Prayer by Thomas Merton
from Thoughts in Solitude

“My Lord God, I have no idea where I am going. I do not see the road ahead of me. I cannot know for certain where it will end. Nor do I really know myself, and the fact that I think that I am following your will does not mean that I am actually doing so. But I believe that the desire to please you does in fact please you. And I hope I have that desire in all that I am doing. I hope that I will never do anything apart from that desire. And I know that if I do this you will lead me by the right road though I may know nothing about it. Therefore will I trust you always though I may seem to be lost and in the shadow of death. I will not fear, for you are ever with me, and you will never leave me to face my perils alone.”

“I am no longer my own, but thine.
Put me to what thou wilt, rank me with whom thou wilt.
Put me to doing, put me to suffering.
Let me be employed by thee or laid aside for thee,
exalted for thee or brought low for thee.
Let me be full, let me be empty.
Let me have all things, let me have nothing.
I freely and heartily yield all things to thy pleasure and disposal.
And now, O glorious and blessed God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit,thou art mine, and I am thine. So be it.
And the covenant which I have made on earth,
let it be ratified in heaven.”
Amen.

John Wesley

As we leave the desert, Lord, let us rise with Christ having died to the flesh and alive in Him. Forge in us the discipline of discipleship. Create in us the will, desire, and strength to sacrifice for you and seek your face each day. Remind us always of the desert, of Good Friday, and of a Saturday spent in a tomb. We give you glory for a Sunday morning, a stone rolled away, and victory. Amen