Lenten Devotions

First Monday in Lent: Lent—Winter/Spring

I took a weekend Silent Lenten Retreat and learned how special the season of Lent (which means Spring) really is. Being in the lovely setting where winter-spring becomes its own season; I discovered that the transformation from winter to spring reveals the transformation of our souls in Lent.

We had an absolutely gorgeous weekend to enjoy solitude with God. Lent is a perfect season to see in nature what God is drawing out of us through the spiritual disciplines we focus on through penitence and preparation for Easter. It is the in-between season that shows us a lot about what we are doing spiritually through our focus on confession. From a distance winter can seem stark and ugly. I feel the same way about confession. But if you take the time to see the winter you can see that the winter season reveals realities that get masked over by the growth of summer. In winter you become aware of what needs to be cleared away. In the same way the confession focus of Lent is a clearing season for my soul. I can see what needs to be cleared away — what is totally dead is shown for what it is.

The weekend retreat showed me the progress of confession on my soul. Along one of the paths I walked, there were many obstacles that could cause one to trip or stumble. Some included roots of trees that make the path shaded and wonderful to walk. One obstacle on my path was a large, dead, fallen-over log that needed to be removed and used for firewood. This un-useful obstacle did not serve any purpose. During Lent, I am looking at the sins that are most harmful and cause most damage to the progress of my soul. God is asking me to give over to Him the dead, fallen limbs of sin. His purpose is not just so I can feel bad about myself. He shows them to me so I can do in my soul what I saw needing to be done about the dead and rotting log that blocked my path. He wants me to see that these sins need to be removed. This Lenten season will not remove all my sin, but it will help me see and focus on the major obstacles that are only hurtful and up to no good or purpose.

Lent is a whole new season of my spiritual life. It is a log-clearing season. I want to be mindful of the logs in my own eyes and not worry about the specks I see in others. “Why do you see the speck that is in your brother's eye, but do not notice the log that is in your own eye?” (Matthew 7:3). During Lent, God and I are walking the path of my soul. This season in-between winter and spring brings out the rotting branches of sin that are blocking the path of my soul’s spiritual progress. Without this special season the path, my soul would get overgrown and eventually become un-passable.

Because I was at the retreat center during Lent, I also enjoyed being able to walk deeper into the cool, quiet beauty of the creek than I can during other seasons. That experience represented the treasure of solitude. As I walk deeper into the river of God's love during this Lenten season, I can experience deeper solitude with Him. Confession creates deeper intimacy with God in a similar way.

Lent is a clearing season. It may look harsh from a distance, but it is all about preparing for growth. The reward is the beautiful intimacy with God that can be experienced in no other way than walking the path of confession and humility.

First Tuesday in Lent: Failing at Fasting

The Lenten Season invites believers to take part in a corporate fast. The purpose of a fast is to become more aware of your powerlessness and to help you focus on God. I think of my fasts from food as a way I show myself and God that I am really serious about the focus of prayer. Of course, as soon as the church gave a spiritual focus for fasting during Lent, we fallen humans found a way to focus on the food rather than the spiritual purpose. Thus, most people know more about Fat Tuesday and Mardi Gras that focus on anything but spiritual intimacy.

I first practiced fasting as a teenager with my youth group. I didn’t realize what a gift this was to learn to fast for a day or two combined with prayer. I connected this discipline with major decisions, and I often fasted before making major decisions for my life. It has always a spiritual victory in my life. I have participated in corporate fasts during election seasons on Tuesdays when invited by a pastor or spiritual ministry. I’ve fasted over church needs and decisions. In other words, I have experienced fasting as a positive and powerful spiritual discipline.

Therefore, when my church suggested that we use the Season of Lent to fast together as a church community, I knew it would be good for me. The plan is to fast on three days during Lent. We fasted on Ash Wednesday, a day in mid Lent and Good Friday. This seemed a no brainer for me. I was surprised by how bad I felt during my Ash Wednesday fast. I had a terrible headache and felt dizzy all day. I didn’t even get to attend an Ash Wednesday service as planned because I felt too bad to drive to church. What a strange day it was. I felt like a failure at fasting. Since I had a 4 p.m. appointment that afternoon, I asked God if it would be okay if I ate a peanut butter graham cracker because I didn’t think I could drive without some food in my stomach. I quit my fast one hour early, but it was exactly what God meant it to be for me. The spiritual lesson of failure at fasting was so clear and energizing. The point of the fast is to recognize my limitedness and realize His un-limitedness. It worked. I prayed for Him to give me the strength I needed to complete my fast as I had it planned. He could have done that. I believe He wanted me to see that I am finite and that His thoughts are far above my thoughts. Although it would have made perfect sense to me if God would have given me strength to complete the fast exactly as I had committed to Him at the beginning not stop early, He did not want to teach me the lesson that way. I’m sure it is because failing at fasting was so much more poignant. I learned the lesson well. I learned that I am finite and cannot even do a fast without His strength. I learned the freedom that is mine in Christ—that I can fail a fast and it does not change God’s love for me one bit.
I love this Lenten collect regarding fasting: “Assist us mercifully, O Lord, in these our supplications: and grant that, like at this fast hath been ordained for the healing of our bodies and our souls, so we may be in all godliness and lowliness observe the same.”

God was faithful to mercifully assist me by healing my body and soul through my recent fast. I feel both the godliness and the lowliness from my own personal experience. Jesus said,

“And when you fast, do not look gloomy like the hypocrites, for they disfigure their faces that their fasting may be seen by others. Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward. But when you fast, anoint your head and wash your face that your fasting may not be seen by others but by your Father who is in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you” (Matthew 6:16-18).

Failing at fasting has great rewards!

First Wednesday in Lent: Make Aliyah to Israel

In some religious Jewish communities, there is nothing more spiritually significant for a Jewish person than to “Make Aliyah to Israel.” Transliterated aliyah means stepping up, going up, or assent. It is considered moving up spiritually when you move to Israel from another country. The only reason you would make such a dramatic move is for your soul. It is a spiritual change for your soul.

Lent is a season of soul transformation. It is an opportunity to move up spiritually. This season is about perfecting your soul by working on character development. The church fathers prescribed specific fasts and religious meetings during this season. When fasts become legalistic, they lose their spiritual power and purpose. I don’t practice Lent out of cultural conditioning but because the Holy Spirit draws me into this delightful experience. I have found the season of Lent to be one of the most dramatic spiritual periods of time in my life. I cannot explain why exactly; all I can report is that I find responding to the Lenten season is like making Aliyah to Heaven for me.

Each year I sense God leading me to a different experience during Lent that stays with me for the years to come. Last year, I tried to catch every sunrise and sunset that I was able. I believe I am more in tune with sunrises and sunsets after that experience. I see them as a gift from God. I feel His presence and admire His beauty when I look at any sunrise or sunset since then. I learned so much about waiting as well as not seeing what I expected from last year’s Lenten journey. This year my Lenten journey is secret. I’m so excited to learn the lessons God has for me. I’m sure I will not be able to keep the lessons secret.
As Christians we do not make aliyah to a place on earth; rather God has made aliyah to our souls if we invite Him. John 14:23 says,

“Jesus replied, ‘Anyone who loves me will obey my teaching. My Father will love them, and we will come to them and make our home with them.’”

Moving up spiritually begins by loving God and obeying His teaching. If it is our intention to be with God, we can step up spiritually in the deepest level of our being.

Adele Laurie Blue Adkins, (born 5 May 1988), is a Grammy Award-winning English singer-songwriter whose smash hit “Rolling in the Deep” is playing in my head as I think about what God wants to give us spiritually. Our souls are made to contain the love of God so fully that we sense Him being at home in our souls. There is nothing bigger than that. If you don’t know the song, perhaps you should listen. I hear it from the heart of God to my soul. He is saying we could have had it all, and He has the scars to prove it.

I encourage you not to miss the treasure of joining with other Christians all around the world who use the season of Lent to open your soul most fully to the love of God. Make your own aliyah to heaven and welcome God’s aliyah to your soul!

First Thursday in Lent: Sorry Enough?

What does it mean to repent? God blessed me on my  trip to Israel by seating me beside a religious Jewish woman who taught me a lot about my faith by sharing about hers. She explained how she had been instructed about repentance. She said there are three levels of confession before you experience true repentance.

1. Confess your sin. She confesses her sins against God to God and her sins against people to people. What if after brainstorming a list of your sins, you identify the sins against people and then call these same people to confess how you sinned? She said that when we sin against another person we are sinning against God because people bear the image of God.
2. Feel regret for your sin. I easily do the first two levels of confession—except the confessing of my sins against my brother—I’m weaker on that point in level one of confession. I do feel bad for the effect of my sin on others. I don’t like this feeling. I want to feel God’s forgiveness. I’m eager for that. This is often why I miss true repentance. I don’t go to the third level of confession that leads to true repentance.
3. Promise not to do it again. Ok, well, I feel bad about my sin, but not to do it again? Is that really necessary? After all, I’ve got my sins narrowed down to the reasonably accepted by most Christians these days list. And by the way, most of my repeat sins are against my husband, and really, can you expect me not to get mad at him again?
   TRUE REPENTANCE: When God gives you the same situation or similar situation and you do not do it again—then you have experienced true repentance.

True repentance, that’s the place I rarely get to, but what repentance is actually about. I do feel sorry for my sins, yet that is not enough. I can feel as sorry as sorry can be, but not really repent.

As I enter into a new Lenten season, I want to bring my deeper understanding of the three levels of confession with me. I want to move to that spiritual breakthrough of true repentance. I want to realize what a spiritual victory it is to actually be empowered by God to not only confess my sin, not only feel sorry for my sin, not only promise not to do it again, but also to actually not do it again and praise and glorify God for that experience!

First Friday in Lent Sunrise/Sunset

Did you ever think about the fact that Christ was buried at sunset and rose again at sunrise? When I felt God leading me to catch as many sunrises and sunsets as possible for my Lenten fast, I did not make the connection to Easter weekend.

Watching a sunset was not as simple as watching the sunrise. I could not see the sunset from my home. I needed to walk or bike down to the end of my street. The first day, the sunset illuminated the sky just over the rooftops. I passed people who could see the beauty from my same perspective, yet everyone was so focused on other things they missed it. One man was doing some yard work; cars were scurrying by. As far as I knew, I was the only one who was looking at the color and splendor spread across the sky. I felt sorrow for all those who were missing the sunset that was right before their eyes if they only took the time to look. This was particularly poignant to me late in the Lenten season when I was gazing at a giant fuchsia-tinted ball of light illuminating the horizon with pinks, purples and orange. The sunset appeared to be otherworldly and even gave off an ominous luminosity. I found it interesting that more people stared at me staring at that mysterious sunset than looked down the street to see the astonishing sight.

There were moments during time spent watching the sunset when everything else became completely blocked from sight. Sunsets can be blinding; you need to look away from time to time. This made me remember God’s glory. He is more than we can imagine. Just like I can’t fully take in a sunset with my own eyes, I cannot fully take in the mystery of the God who created it. He is more than my finite mind can conceive.

The most important lesson I learned from watching the sunset was the most obvious. The sun intensifies at sunset and transforms from a subtle yellow glow to a bright orange signal from our Lord, who rules the sky. He sends us a kind of caution signal to make us aware that another twenty-four hour period is over—the light will soon be gone. Sunset is a time to become aware. Were you pleased with the way you spent this time? Did you do what you set out to do with the time between sunrise and sunset? As the orange glow brings the world into a different light, it makes the once blue sky transition into one full of vibrant color stemming from the golden ball of light. As God brings this day to a close, He asks, “Was it a good day for you?”

Psalm 72:7 says, “In his days may the righteous flourish and prosperity abound till the moon is no more.”

The steeple at Park Cities Baptist Church in Dallas, Texas, has clocks that face all directions, each with the inscription Night Cometh. Jesus warned us to do the work He has given us to do now when He explained to His disciples, You are going to have the light just a little while longer. Walk while you have the light, before darkness overtakes you. Whoever walks in the dark does not know where they are going (John 12:35). Make the most of this one and only day and reflect on all that you have experienced at sunset.

I would like to share just a few of the gems from making time to catch the sunrise for those 47 days. The first lesson came the first day: if you want to watch the sunrise, it will take time and planning. I knew that time and planning would be necessary on my part, but I hadn’t thought of God’s eternal commitment to time and planning until I pondered it at sunrise and sunset. Time and planning are divine values. If you doubt this, just think about a sunrise. It has never failed to rise and set on God’s time-clock. It is quick, yet painfully slow. We set our clocks by the rhythm of the sunrise and sunset. Lent refers to the lengthening of days that begins to happen in spring. The times and seasons are set by God and we cannot rush it or slow it down.

I always thought that I was missing many glorious sunrises because I was too busy to notice. However, when I set out to purposely watch each day’s transformation at sunrise, I realized that at least in spring there are many days when a sunrise is hidden behind a thick veil of clouds. I knew the sun was rising, but I couldn’t see it happening. The birds sing no matter how much beauty is displayed. The light came every day, but it didn’t always come in glorious displays. For more than half of the days of this Lenten season I did not watch the colorful display I was expecting.

I’m grateful for this. I see God’s wisdom. He knows how amazing His sunrises are, and He doesn’t want them to become merely a demand or expectation. I need to value the honor and privilege of being graced with this beauty.

God has a lot invested in displaying His glory through the world He created. He had His prophet Malachi tell us,

“But for you who revere my name, the sun of righteousness will rise with healing in its rays. And you will go out and frolic like well-fed calves (Mal 4:2).”

When we do catch one of those awe-inspiring sunrises, our hearts are filled with the kind of hope that is described in this verse. A sunrise can heal downcast souls so that they are transformed from fear to frolicking, like a perfectly satisfied calf with nothing better to do than dance and play.

That is the kind of effect a beautiful sunrise can have on a soul. I had many experiences of joy as I took in the unique glow of each sunrise. From the first day to the last I was always surprised. I thought I knew what I might observe when I walked out the door each morning. But I was always wrong. Sometimes I thought the clouds would totally conceal the sunrise, but one would thin out just so I could catch a glimpse of color through the clouds. I learned the lesson from the birds. I learned to sing because the light is come, the light is real, and the light is given for me. The light is a reflection of the spiritual light I can enjoy by knowing God in His Word, whether I get the privilege of witnessing the colorful display or the large orange ball or not. In fact, one of my most meaningful sunrises came on Easter morning. The darkest clouds of the whole season shielded the light from my view. Because I had learned the lesson, I found it glorious and beautiful.

Thank You, God for the sunrise. And thank You, God, for the SON who rose from the grave and rescued me from my sin!

First Saturday in Lent: Depravity Meets Divinity

As Ash Wednesday approaches ushers in the Lenten Season, I am in awe of the reality warring in my soul. It is a war between the knowledge of God (Divine) and my depraved mind (Depravity). The symbols of Ash Wednesday display this reality to me. As the ashes from last year’s palms waved on Palm Sunday are shaped into a cross on my forehead, I am given pause to consider; “from dust I came and to dust I will return.” My fate of hopelessness in my depravity becomes hopeful when the cross is formed in me. The cross changes everything about my depravity.

In my depraved state, I will die in my sins. Yet, something tells me I am worth saving. I don’t want to die. I want to live. My survival instinct is part of that knowledge of God that remains in me (Divine).

I don’t like to think about my depravity. No one else does either. We humans find elaborate methods to cover up our depravity and avoid realizing that “from dust we came and dust we will return.” Rather than consider the reality of our depravity, we dress ourselves up and attempt to make ourselves look better than we know we are. We might become philanthropists, or save the environment. We try to become wealthy and acquire as many beautiful things as we can to make ourselves feel better. We distract ourselves by pleasing others.

Paul describes the human soul in Romans 1:28,

“Furthermore, since they did not think it worthwhile to retain the knowledge of God, he gave them over to a depraved mind, to do what ought not to be done.”

The ashes symbolize the reality of my depraved mind. My depraved mind is what leads me to do things that ought not to be done and even to do things that seem good but have no saving power in my life. They merely disguise my depraved mind and make me think I am better than I really am—depraved.

The Lenten season is the perfect season to come to terms with my depravity and delight in my divinity. I want to think it worthwhile to retain the knowledge of God. I do this when I focus on the cross and the victory Jesus Christ’s death and resurrection stir up in my soul. Because of His hard work on the cross it is possible for me to have victory over the sinful realities that exist in my soul—my depraved mind. I am depraved and there is nothing I, myself, can do about it. I need the cross. I need a Savior.

I want to celebrate the divine in me—the knowledge of God that I am God’s child. I am created in the image of God and deeply loved by Him. Retaining the knowledge of God also helps me recognize that my mind is depraved. I need God’s work of redemption to overcome the sin that lives in me.

During Lent I am called to 40 Days of repentance recognizing the depraved part of me, so that I am more fully ready to celebrate the divine reality that Jesus’ death, burial and resurrection makes possible.

Second Sunday in Lent: The Prayers of Easter

What is the subject of your most fervent prayer lately? When did you last pray? How many times did you pray about it? How did you feel after you prayed?

The lessons of Easter are lessons on prayer. From the cursing of the Fig tree after Jesus first arrived in Jerusalem to the last four prayers Jesus prayed hanging on the cross; one observes that Jesus’ life on earth was all about prayer.
The last night Jesus spent with His disciples contained the most poignant prayers Jesus ever let us see. Jesus taught them about prayer by praying in front of them. It wasn’t an object lesson, there were no parables told. Isn’t that how you learn about prayer—by praying?

In the Upper Room the disciples prayed several prayers from their traditional Jewish Passover Celebration. Jesus also prayed His heartfelt prayer to the Father about how the world would change from this point forward. That night He prayed for Himself that His life and death would glorify God and called on God to make His work come to fruition. He prayed for His disciples, the friends who shared His ministry, and He prayed for you and me, all future followers to make an impact on this world. Found in John 17, it is Jesus’ longest recorded prayer.
After singing some hymns from Psalms, the disciples left and walked the short distance to the Garden of Gethsemane where Jesus prayed, rather than slept. He called James, John and Peter to come away and pray with Him.
It is this prayer that utterly demonstrates what prayer can do for a soul. Jesus went to this time of prayer, greatly distressed in His soul. It even showed on the outside as it is reported that He sweat drops of blood (Luke 22:44). Though the three who should be praying for themselves that they would not give into temptation were sleeping, Jesus was praying. He was calling out to His Father in prayer. He prayed once and came to the others to find them sleeping. They had not learned His lesson of the importance of prayer; it didn’t discourage Him. He went back to pray some more. A second time He left His focus on prayer to check on His friends and warned them that they too needed to be praying, then He returned to His prayer. Jesus shows us through these breaks in prayer how to keep on praying until we get the answer we need. Jesus didn’t stop praying until He was ready, fully equipped to go to the cross. At the end of His last session of prayer, He came and woke up His disciples and told them it was time to go and be arrested (Matthew 26:36-46, Mark 14:32-42, Luke 22:40-46).

Four of the seven sayings from the cross are prayers from the lips of Jesus to the ears of His loving Father. Jesus’ strength to leave His friends, go to the cross and endure its torture came through prayer. He first prayed that God would forgive us for doing this heinous act of crucifying our Savior (Luke 23:34). The most mysterious of all His prayers from the cross was His prayer of anguish when He prayed, “My God, My God, why have you forsaken me?” (Matthew 27:46, Mark 15:34) He cried out triumphantly in prayer, “It is finished” (John 19:30). And His final breath was a prayer, “Father, into your hands I commit my Spirit” (Luke 23:46). Have you learned the lesson of prayer? There are answers that come to us only as the fruit of persevering prayer. Jesus told us that and Jesus demonstrated that.