Welcome to a daily devotional guide for the Lenten season, taking us on a journey to Resurrection Sunday! A traditional Lenten devotional series is 40 days, writings for six days each week. Sundays are “celebration days” for scripture verses, hymns and spiritual songs. My prayer is that you will be blessed, inspired and filled with a renewed love and commitment to the Savior as you travel this road of preparation for Resurrection Day.
Day 1: Ash Wednesday
Joel 2:12-13
“ ’Even now,” declares the LORD, “return to Me with all your heart, with fasting and weeping and mourning.’ Rend your heart and not your garments. Return to the LORD your God, for He is gracious and compassionate, slow to anger and abounding in love, and He relents from sending calamity.'”
Growing up in a military family that was not particularly religious we attended church only occasionally at the protestant chapel on the local base. At school, I was intrigued and a bit jealous that a number of my classmates were excused during lunch break to attend church with their parents, returning with smudges of ashes on their foreheads, marking the first day of Lent. Years later after placing my faith in Christ, I came to understand the true significance of Lent. It isn’t about the ashes or a rigid ritual to keep or a requirement for His acceptance and love but, rather, it is a special time set aside, by personal choice, to draw nearer to God. One may choose to fast for a period of time or refrain daily from a particular food or habit. Our scripture verse today says, “Rend your heart” which means to come to the Lord with “weeping and mourning” over personal sin with a heart of repentance. When we do this, we will be met by a forgiving, gracious, loving and compassionate God. It is my prayer that you will join me over the next 40 days, until Resurrection Sunday, as we draw near to the Father and open our hearts to what He has in store for us as He prepares our hearts for Easter.
Father in Heaven, as we prepare once again for the redemptive message of the Cross, open our hearts to receive all that You desire for us to consider in the coming weeks. Ignite the flame of Your Holy Spirit to give us a teachable spirit with a desire for these things: time in Your Word, more effective prayer, and a heart of charity towards others.
In Your name we pray, Amen.
