AN ALTAR IN THE MESSINESS OF LIFE

Each of us is the artist of our own life.

Lent is a journey.  It begins the seventh Wednesday before Easter on what the Church calls Ash Wednesday and ends in the glorious victory of Easter Sunday.

Lent is a season of examination where followers of Jesus remember from whence they come.  It is a time of entering into the desert Jesus was led into after His baptism.  It is a time of Spirit embraced reflection, solitude, listening, and self-searching, all for the purpose of seeking to be still, of quieting one’s heart, and of drawing near the cross of Christ.

Lent is an altar where followers of Jesus meet God and pray, “Search me, O God, and know my heart; try me and know my anxious thoughts; and see if there be any hurtful way in me, and lead me in the everlasting way” (Psalm 139:23-24).

In a way Lent is no different from any other season of the year because followers of Jesus live in a spirit of “Search me, O God.”  This season is simply an intentional act of devotion where we remember our brokenness and God’s restoration.  We remember that in ourselves we have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God (Romans 3:23), but that “while we were still helpless, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly” (Rom. 5:6).

Lent is our saying to God that we will never take His grace for granted and that we will live conscious of God’s eternal love for us.  It is a way to reveal that we take seriously Jesus’ call to take up our cross and follow Him.  As Augustus Toplady wrote in the Eighteenth century,

Nothing in my hand I bring,

Simply to Thy cross I cling;

Naked, come to Thee for dress

Helpless, look to Thee for grace;

Foul, I to the fountain fly;

Wash me, Savior, our I die.

In these devotional thoughts for Lent 2023 we are focusing on God’s invitation to draw near to Him and to listen for His voice in the busy-ness of our lives.  This Lenten journey is one attempt to participate with God who calls us to, “Be still, cease striving, and know that I am God” (Psalm 46:10).  

Be still.  Cease striving.  These words describe the spirit of Lent.  There are times we need to slow down, catch our breath, and relax.  For some, this is what holidays and vacations are for, and we do need these times.  Lent isn’t a holiday, though.  Lent is going about the business of living, intentionally slowing down, intentionally listening, and intentionally moving forward.  It is intentionally doing the work we need to do that helps us refresh our memories as to who we are in Christ.

Elizabeth O’Connor speaks to us of these things as she shares a challenging, thrilling, and empowering thought:  

 

Each of us is the artist of his own life.  The materials we are given to work with, the conditions we work under and what happens to us, are part of the drama of what we shall do with our lives.  But materials and conditions and events are not, in themselves, the determining factors.  Whether a man arrives or does not arrive at his destiny--the place that is peculiarly his -- depends on whether or not he finds the Kingdom within and hears the call to wholeness--or holiness, as another might say.  The man who hears the call is chosen.  He does not have to scramble for a place in the scheme of things.  He knows there is a place which is his and that he can live close to the One who will show it to him (Quoted in Bob Benson, The Quest of the Shared Life (Nashville: Impact Books, 1981), page 85).

And so, we listen.  We open up our hearts, and intentionally move forward, aware that under the leadership, power, visions and dreams of God, each of us is the artist of our own lives.  And, we pray.  “Search me O God…lead me in the everlasting way” (Psalm 139:23-24).

Each devotional reading in Lent is divided into three sections: (1) Scripture reading, (2) Focus on the Word, and (3) Today's prayer.  

The Focus on the Word is a brief devotional thought based on the Scripture reading for that day.  

The prayers are written prayers that come to us from Church history, some ancient, and some more recent.  

Whenever a Biblical text is found in quotes, there will be a reference to which translation is printed.  This is for clarity only.  Any translation you choose will be beneficial.  Three translations are used throughout: (1) New American Standard Bible, NASB, (2) New International Version, NIV, and (3) The Message, MSG.

A story before we begin our journey through Lent.  

A Russian priest who was discouraged and disappointed about his ministry took a walk one evening in the woods and wandered into a military installation.

The young, armed guard at the perimeter shouted, “Halt!  Who are you and why are you here?”

The priest perked up and asked, “What did you say?”

The solder became even more stern and said, ‘Who are you and why are you here?”

The priest asked, “How much do you get paid?”

The young man caught off guard by the questions, said, “Why does it matter to you?”

“Because,” the priest replied, “I’ll pay you that much to ask me those same two questions every day.”