Ash Wednesday, February 14, 2018
Thursday, February 15, 2018
Psalm 51:1-17
SPIRITUAL PRACTICE: PRAYER
Isaiah 58:1-12
If you read the opening letter to this devotional, then you might recall this line:
2 Corinthians 5:20-6:10 Matthew 6:1-6, 16-21 Lent is a time of year when many Christians make a physical sacrifice, typically in the form of abstinence from what may be of greater weight in their life than Christ. This is done not only to join in the suffering of Christ, but also to cultivate a new kind of dependency and trust in their Heavenly Father. When we pray for God to create a clean heart within us, we often focus on those things that most obviously do not point to Christ. Things that damage our relationship with others and with God. But what about our relationship with self? Is it not just as significant? You house the magnificent light of Christ. You were created to be loved by your Creator and to be a beacon of truth, pointing others in the direction of the awesome unity of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit. In order to be powerful examples and truth tellers, we first have to be sure that we are being loved and given hope through the powerful truth of Christ. What if, rather than once more denying yourself, or publicly nailing yourself up in the name of “Christian propriety,” you gave up destruction? What if you gave up squeezing yourself out dry in the name of some twisted form of martyrdom and began to observe your own needs? You need regular intakes of energy (aka food). You need adequate sleep. You need to set aside time to breathe. You need to experience love from others. When your needs are met, it is then natural to begin to meet the needs of others. Consider giving up “fixing” everyone’s issues. Consider giving up one thing from your ever-growing list of responsibilities (and NOT adding another!). Consider speaking up rather than keeping quiet. Perhaps Lent doesn’t have to be another thing on your to-do list for a season, but perhaps it is a catalyst for transformation. Begin again this season, opening up to the love of Christ, denying what is not good, beautiful and true, and instead, asking God to break through, healing your hurts with His satisfying light. Creating a heart in you in rhythm with His very heartbeat for you and all of creation.
The traditional purpose of Lent is the preparation of the believer – through prayer, repentance, almsgiving and self-denial – for the annual commemoration during Holy Week of the Death and Resurrection of Jesus. During this Lenten season, we will utilize Thursdays as a day to engage in one of the spiritual practices mentioned above as a means for “preparing the believer” or creating space for God to move and speak in our lives, as we journey through this season. This week we will engage in the practice of prayer. Prayer is both simple and complex. Well, really, prayer is just simple. You and I make prayer much more complex than it needs to be. Prayer, in its most simple form, is having a conversation with God. We talk to God – sharing the things that weigh on our hearts and minds – things that God already knows, but waits to hear from us anyway. We talk, and then we listen. The noise around us can often make this an incredibly challenging task. We must work hard to eliminate distractions and focus our hearts’ affection and minds’ attention on God. There is no need for this to be formal. Jesus taught that we can approach God as our loving Father and talk to Him as we would a best friend. As you pray, express to God whatever is on your heart. Tell Him what you’re thankful for and what you’re anxious about. Pray for those you know are in need, and also voice to Him your own needs. One idea is to take a prayer walk. Head to a place where you know you can be alone, and as you walk slowly begin to share your thoughts with God. Another idea is to write a letter to God. Begin with “Dear God…” Then write whatever comes to mind. If you find yourself needing more direction about how and what to pray, then consider personalizing each part of the Lord’s Prayer that Jesus taught His disciples. Jesus didn’t give us this prayer so we would mindlessly repeat it from memory. Instead, He gave it as an example and pattern we can follow. That’s why He didn’t say, “This is WHAT you should pray,” but rather, “This is HOW you should pray” (Matthew 6:9). As we begin our journey through the Lenten season, consider how you might make the practice of prayer a consistent part of your Lenten activities.
Laura Peck Sophomore, Sociology and Christian Spiritual Formation
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