Lent, 2024: Ash Wednesday
Throughout Lent, The Garden will be practicing consistent rhythms of daily prayer through a movement that invites participation in personal devotional time. Each practice will look at a psalm from the Revised Common Lectionary, both as an invitation to prayer and a guide for it. These practices are repeated daily throughout the week, include questions for reflection, and will be supplemented by a weekly podcast called Lent in Conversation, available on our site or through our regular podcast feed. Today marks the beginning of Lent and the first of these practices, as we move toward the celebration of Easter. The “Reflection” component below and much of the overall movement has been adapted from Practicing the Way’s four-week Prayer practice, available for free on their site. We invite you to join us as we pray together this week through the words of Psalm 51.
It is easy indeed to confess that I have not fasted on prescribed days, or missed my prayers, or become angry. It is quite a different thing, however, to realize suddenly that I have defiled and lost my spiritual beauty, that I am far away from my real home, my real life, and that something precious and pure and beautiful has been hopeless broken in the very texture of my existence. Yet this, and only this, is repentance, and therefore it is also a deep desire to return, to go back, to recover that lost home.
ALEXANDER SCHMEMANN
RHYTHM
Plan on setting aside at least twelve to fifteen minutes at the start of each day this week. (If you already observe such a practice, consider increasing that time for this practice throughout Lent.) Find a space that feels inviting and open, an uncluttered place in your home or outside of it. Put away distractions. Set digital devices to Do Not Disturb. Take a deep breath and rest. Open your time with this prayer from the Book of Common Prayer, presented here in contemporary English:
Almighty God, from whom every good prayer comes, and who pours out on all who desire it the Spirit of grace and mercy: Deliver me as I draw near to you, from a cold heart and a wandering mind, that with steadfast thoughts and kindled affection I may worship you in spirit and in truth, through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Amen.
Read Psalm 51 in its entirety, pausing between the sections indicated below to seek God in specific ways:
After reading verses 1-5 consider, as Robert Mays says, that confession is more than making a list of sins to a God who already sees them. When you confess, you acknowledge a condition of sinfulness from which God alone can rescue you. Coming before Him does not earn His mercy but instead opens us up to receive what He offers freely. Repentance is a turning back to God and to who we are called to be in Him. Pause to consider what sins are “ever before you” that obstruct you from the embrace of a good and merciful God.
After reading verses 6-12 and reflecting on your need for God, step into the same space the psalmist occupies here, where the inner reality few see is exposed in the light of truth. What alienates you from knowing and experiencing God? Take a moment to pray, Lord I often miss your word of truth, so help me to hear it now and throughout the day. I can become exhausted under the weight of sin and sorrow, so help me to hear your call to joy and gratitude. Where my mind and heart wanders today, make me willing to follow and eager to wait.
After reading verses 13-17, find hope in the promise of God’s restoration. There is a strong freedom that comes with confession, and our joy is knowing that God does not reject the repentant. He makes them builders of the Church, partners in the ministry of the Gospel. There is power in knowing that the things God forgives become the substance of our testimonies. As you spend this time in confession, consider how hearing about the mercy of God you receive could encourage a brother or sister broken under the weight of sin and shame.
After reading verses 18-19, lift your eyes from the burdens you carry or the circumstances that threaten to bury you. God delights when His children turn to him in trust and devotion. Simply pray, Restore what is lost, Lord. Let Your goodness be my strength and refuge today.
Spend a few minutes in silence, listening to God speak to you, through these words of scripture or in your heart. To end your time, pray this classic Lenten prayer from St. Ephrem the Syrian, adapted here in contemporary English:
O Lord and master of my life,
Take from me the spirit of sloth, of faint-heartedness, the lust of power, and any idle talk. Give instead today the spirit of self-control, humility, patience, and love to your servant. Help me see my own errors, Lord, that I might not judge my brother or my sister. Make me a blessing to You, who deserves all blessing unto ages and ages.
Amen.
REFLECTION
Prayer is primarily about listening. God initiates the experience, and we take Him up on the awesome invitation to hear His voice. The beauty of prayer is in realizing that the opportunity to listen does not end with a spoken “amen” but continues unbroken as we walk in step with the Spirit.
Sometimes God speaks in different ways. He might remind you of a Bible verse or passage. He might bring someone or something specific to mind. If you are new to the experience of prayer, keep in mind that when the Lord speaks to us it is always consistent with what the Bible reveals about His ways and character, and that often when He speaks, we know it's His voice because of how contrary to our flesh and weakness His words sound.
Write down what comes to mind and heart as you pray this week and reflect on Psalm 51. What has God told you, through His word and in your heart? What has he reminded you about? What has he challenged in you? Who or what has He drawn you to?
In addition to these reflection prompts, we think that this psalm ties in well with the fruit of self-control. We are “prone to wander,” as the hymn says, and prayers of confession, like Psalm 51, are a way to anchor us to the words and ways of God. His Spirit in us means we have strength to resist temptation and grace in recovery where we stumble. In your time during this practice and the rest of the day that follows it, consider the following questions:
How have prayer and fasting this week challenged you in cultivating the fruit of self-control?
How have prayer and fasting helped you in cultivating the fruit of self-control?
For a deeper dive into this psalm and this fruit of the Spirit, listen to the Lent in Conversation supplemental podcast episodes, available in our Resources tab above or in our regular podcast feed.
Find more curated resources, links, devotionals, and more to help you as pray this week under the Resources tab above.
