COVENANT PRAYER CIRCLE GUIDEWeek of February 18, 2018

Prayer Focus: Pray to God to show you how to make the most of Lent

Scripture: Joel 2:12 Even now,” declares the Lord,“returnto Me with all your heart,with fasting and weeping and mourning.

Matthew 6 Fasting to Be Seen Only by God 16Moreover, when you fast, do not be like the hypocrites, with a sad countenance. For they disfigure their faces that they may appear to men to be fasting. Assuredly, I say to you, they have their reward. 17But you, when you fast, anoint your head and wash your face, 18so that you do not appear to men to be fasting, but to your Father who is in the secret place; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you openly. NKJJV

Philippians 3 10that I may know Him and the power of His resurrection, and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death, 11if, by any means, I may attain to the resurrection from the dead.NKJJV

Why do we celebrate Lent?As early as the Second Century, the church used the season before Resurrection Sunday as a time for training new believers how to rightly think, live and believe as Christians. For us, Lent should be a time of introspection, self-examination and repentance; a time to look at depth at our sins and turn away from them; a time for changing our ways to be more like the person Christ would have us be.

The 40 weekdays in Lent (Sundays in Lent are not counted) are significant as they are a way to commemorate Christ’s fasting in the wilderness.

Often people give something up for Lent. Generally, that should be something you really like and will be a difficult to do without. I used to jokingly say I was going to give up liver for Lent (something I never ate). But, seriously, when we give up something, we should be thinking that we are “fasting” from this item. Perhaps thinking of it as a fast will help us to take it more seriously. Some other things besides chocolate that we might give up are TV, fast foods, Starbucks, social media, non-essential shopping, a bad habit. When we give up something that takes our time, we should replace it with thoughts of God. When we give up something that costs us money, we should contribute that money to a worthy cause.

For the past several years, I have tried not to give up a food item, but to give up a bad habit or to add some additional or special prayer and/or devotion time. Other things we might think of to add for Lent are: simple acts of kindness; time of prayer or devotion each day; attend Lenten services; meditate on God’s Word; enjoy a time of rest and peace in God’s nature. If you think you don’t have time for extra praying or thinking about God, how about using your time in the shower or while driving.

  1. How can we “live” Lent?
  2. What will you do this year to mark the special time of Lent?
  3. Where have you seen God in action recently?

Let us Pray: Dear Lord, help me to surrender myself to You. Show me how to come ever closer to You. Help me to make the most of the season of Lent. Here. Now. In Christ’s Holy Name I pray. Amen.