Lent is one of my favorite times of the year. I love Lent because it causes me to pause and be intentional about my faith Journey. Lent is a time for spiritual growth; a time to prepare our hearts and minds for the celebration of Christ’s Resurrection and Easter. It’s a time for fasting, prayer and renewal. It’s a time to take on something or let go of something to nurture our relationship with Jesus. Keeping our Lenten disciplines simple yet meaningful helps us not stray too far from the path God calls us to.
This year, as one of my Lenten Disciplines, I am reading and praying the Book of Psalms as my evening pause. I love the psalms because they are filled with every human emotion and are so relatable. The psalms continually call us to remember our connections with God and how he has cared for us since the beginning of time. When life becomes too busy or difficult, when my resentments overtake me, or my spiritual life is dry, the psalms feed my heart and restore my soul. Their poetry, music, history, and the foreshadowing of the Easter story always comfort and change us in new ways.
The psalms are much like the steady rhythm of our ocean waves, coming and going, sometimes a pounding surf, sometimes a gentle ripple, sometimes angry, sometimes joyful, and sometimes grateful, but always a constant symbol of the rhythm of life and the constant love of God. One of the keys to listening to God speak through the psalms is sitting in silence. Let the words wash over you, just as the ocean waves wash over you, whispering peace and strength for the journey ahead. May you come to know the power of God’s greatest gift of love in the psalms this Lenten season.
In Christ,
Deacon Cecie