Opening Prayer: Psalm 89:1-18

¹ I will sing of the Lord’s great love forever;
    with my mouth I will make your faithfulness known
    through all generations.
² I will declare that your love stands firm forever,
    that you have established your faithfulness in heaven itself.
³ You said, “I have made a covenant with my chosen one,
    I have sworn to David my servant,
⁴ ‘I will establish your line forever
    and make your throne firm through all generations.’”^[c]

⁵ The heavens praise your wonders, Lord,
    your faithfulness too, in the assembly of the holy ones.
⁶ For who in the skies above can compare with the Lord?
    Who is like the Lord among the heavenly beings?
⁷ In the council of the holy ones God is greatly feared;
    he is more awesome than all who surround him.
⁸ Who is like you, Lord God Almighty?
    You, Lord, are mighty, and your faithfulness surrounds you.

⁹ You rule over the surging sea;
    when its waves mount up, you still them.
¹⁰ You crushed Rahab like one of the slain;
    with your strong arm you scattered your enemies.
¹¹ The heavens are yours, and yours also the earth;
    you founded the world and all that is in it.
¹² You created the north and the south;
    Tabor and Hermon sing for joy at your name.
¹³ Your arm is endowed with power;
    your hand is strong, your right hand exalted.

¹⁴ Righteousness and justice are the foundation of your throne;
    love and faithfulness go before you.
¹⁵ Blessed are those who have learned to acclaim you,
    who walk in the light of your presence, Lord.
¹⁶ They rejoice in your name all day long;
    they celebrate your righteousness.
¹⁷ For you are their glory and strength,
    and by your favor you exalt our horn.^[d]
18 Indeed, our shield^[e] belongs to the Lord,
    our king to the Holy One of Israel.

God’s Voice:

• Old Testament (covenant): Gen. 49:1-28
• Psalm (song): 100
• Epistle (letter):  1 Cor. 10:14–11:1
• Gospel (good news): Mark 7:24-37

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 89:19-52

¹⁹ Once you spoke in a vision,
    to your faithful people you said:
“I have bestowed strength on a warrior;
    I have raised up a young man from among the people.
²⁰ I have found David my servant;
    with my sacred oil I have anointed him.
²¹ My hand will sustain him;
    surely my arm will strengthen him.
²² The enemy will not get the better of him;
    the wicked will not oppress him.
²³ I will crush his foes before him
    and strike down his adversaries.
²⁴ My faithful love will be with him,
    and through my name his horn^[f] will be exalted.
²⁵ I will set his hand over the sea,
    his right hand over the rivers.
²⁶ He will call out to me, ‘You are my Father,
    my God, the Rock my Savior.’
²⁷ And I will appoint him to be my firstborn,
    the most exalted of the kings of the earth.
²⁸ I will maintain my love to him forever,
    and my covenant with him will never fail.
²⁹ I will establish his line forever,
    his throne as long as the heavens endure.

³⁰ “If his sons forsake my law
    and do not follow my statutes,
³¹ if they violate my decrees
    and fail to keep my commands,
³² I will punish their sin with the rod,
    their iniquity with flogging;
³³ but I will not take my love from him,
    nor will I ever betray my faithfulness.
³⁴ I will not violate my covenant
    or alter what my lips have uttered.
³⁵ Once for all, I have sworn by my holiness—
    and I will not lie to David—
³⁶ that his line will continue forever
    and his throne endure before me like the sun;
³⁷ it will be established forever like the moon,
    the faithful witness in the sky.”

³⁸ But you have rejected, you have spurned,
    you have been very angry with your anointed one.
³⁹ You have renounced the covenant with your servant
    and have defiled his crown in the dust.
⁴⁰ You have broken through all his walls
    and reduced his strongholds to ruins.
⁴¹ All who pass by have plundered him;
    he has become the scorn of his neighbors.
⁴² You have exalted the right hand of his foes;
    you have made all his enemies rejoice.
⁴³ Indeed, you have turned back the edge of his sword
    and have not supported him in battle.
⁴⁴ You have put an end to his splendor
    and cast his throne to the ground.
⁴⁵ You have cut short the days of his youth;
    you have covered him with a mantle of shame.

⁴⁶ How long, Lord? Will you hide yourself forever?
    How long will your wrath burn like fire?
⁴⁷ Remember how fleeting is my life.
    For what futility you have created all humanity!
⁴⁸ Who can live and not see death,
    or who can escape the power of the grave?
⁴⁹ Lord, where is your former great love,
    which in your faithfulness you swore to David?
⁵⁰ Remember, Lord, how your servant has^[g] been mocked,
    how I bear in my heart the taunts of all the nations,
⁵¹ the taunts with which your enemies, Lord, have mocked,
    with which they have mocked every step of your anointed one.

⁵² Praise be to the Lord forever!
Amen and Amen.

How to Use this Devotional

1. Read the “Opening Prayer” from scripture to the Lord as your prayer
2. Choose one or more of the scripture passages under “God’s Voice” for further reading
3. Answer the questions under “Pursuing Holiness”
   1. Your reflection on the scriptures and how you sense the Holy Spirit leading you today
   2. Identify how you will practice self-denial today based on God’s leading
   3. Identify how you want to practice giving today
   4. Let prayer, fasting (self-denial), and giving be your living, spiritual worship
4. Keep notes in a journal or planner to enable your follow-through and create a record
5. 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.