Opening Prayer: Psalm 95
1 Come, let us sing for joy to the Lord;
let us shout aloud to the Rock of our salvation.
2 Let us come before him with thanksgiving
and extol him with music and song.
3 For the Lord is the great God,
the great King above all gods.
4 In his hand are the depths of the earth,
and the mountain peaks belong to him.
5 The sea is his, for he made it,
and his hands formed the dry land.
6 Come, let us bow down in worship,
let us kneel before the Lord our Maker;
7 for he is our God
and we are the people of his pasture,
the flock under his care.
Today, if only you would hear his voice,
8 “Do not harden your hearts as you did at Meribah,[a]
as you did that day at Massah[b] in the wilderness,
9 where your ancestors tested me;
they tried me, though they had seen what I did.
10 For forty years I was angry with that generation;
I said, ‘They are a people whose hearts go astray,
and they have not known my ways.’
11 So I declared on oath in my anger,
‘They shall never enter my rest.’”
God’s Voice:
- Old Testament (covenant): Exod. 9:13-35
- Psalm (song): 22, 143:1-11
- Epistle (letter): 2 Cor. 4:1-12
- Gospel (good news): Mark 10:32-45
Pursuing Holiness
- Prayer: What is God saying to me today? How will I respond?
- Fasting: What can I deny myself today (food, drink, behaviors) as an act of worship?
- Charity: How can I help someone in need today with my time, money, or goods?
Closing Prayer: Psalm 141
1 I call to you, Lord, come quickly to me;
hear me when I call to you.
2 May my prayer be set before you like incense;
may the lifting up of my hands be like the evening sacrifice.
3 Set a guard over my mouth, Lord;
keep watch over the door of my lips.
4 Do not let my heart be drawn to what is evil
so that I take part in wicked deeds
along with those who are evildoers;
do not let me eat their delicacies.
5 Let a righteous man strike me—that is a kindness;
let him rebuke me—that is oil on my head.
My head will not refuse it,
for my prayer will still be against the deeds of evildoers.
6 Their rulers will be thrown down from the cliffs,
and the wicked will learn that my words were well spoken.
7 They will say, “As one plows and breaks up the earth,
so our bones have been scattered at the mouth of the grave.”
8 But my eyes are fixed on you, Sovereign Lord;
in you I take refuge—do not give me over to death.
9 Keep me safe from the traps set by evildoers,
from the snares they have laid for me.
10 Let the wicked fall into their own nets,
while I pass by in safety.
How to Use this Devotional
- Read the “Opening Prayer” from scripture to the Lord as your prayer
- Choose one or more of the scripture passages under “God’s Voice” for further reading
- Answer the questions under “Pursuing Holiness”
- Your reflection on the scriptures and how you sense the Holy Spirit leading you today
- Identify how you will practice self-denial today based on God’s leading
- Identify how you want to practice giving today
- Let prayer, fasting (self-denial), and giving be your living, spiritual worship
- Keep notes in a journal or planner to enable your follow-through and create a record
- Read the “Closing Prayer”
Since the third century, Christians have used Scripture, Prayer, Fasting (Self-denial), and Charity (Almsgiving) as spiritual preparation for Easter.
What is Lent?
Lent is the season in the Christian calendar that leads up to Easter. Lent is 40 days long because Jesus was tempted in the wilderness for 40 days before his public ministry. The Israelites, because of their disobedience and rebellion, were made to wander for 40 years in the wilderness before arriving in the promised land. Moses spent 40 days on Mount Sinai engaged with God in receiving the Ten Commandments. In the Bible, the number 40 is often used to indicate a period of preparation and testing.
In the wilderness, nothing is hidden. We are laid bare to God. We do not have our creature comforts. We are separated from common distractions. We ultimately return to our lives when the time of preparation is complete. We focus our passion on God while He refines us to fulfill His calling.
Give