Lent, 2024: Lent Week 1
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. 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 25.
The laments and praises of the psalms express confidence in the Lord, as he remains the same, even when the circumstances of God’s people are continually in flux. The ground for hope lies in the perfections of God, for He is good, upright, full of integrity, righteous, just, gracious, faithful, loving, compassionate, and forgiving.
WILLEM VAN GEMEREN
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 Benedict of Nursia:
O Gracious and Holy God,
Give me diligence to seek you, wisdom to perceive you, and patience to wait for you. Grant me, O God, a mind to meditate on you; eyes to behold you; ears to listen for your word; a heart to love you; and a life to proclaim you; through the power of the Spirit of Jesus Christ our Lord.
Amen.
Take time to read through Psalm 25 in its entirety, pausing between the sections indicated below to seek God in specific ways through its words and invitations:
The opening of this psalm in verses 1-5 invites worshipers to look around and to lift up. With the psalmist, take a moment to take stock of the “enemies” to your faith, be they external, situational, relational or internal. Seek God’s deliverance from them and his guidance beyond them, as the psalmist does here, by lifting your soul to him. This means approaching this time of prayer without pretense or performance, simply beginning with the offering a heart open to the work of the Spirit. Pray verses 1-5 again.
Read verses 6-11. They tell us that the goodness of God and His faithfulness to those He loves compels our repentance. Confession is not a weight to burden but a remembrance of mercy that lifts us from the burial of sin and death. Take a moment to name the sins you know have kept you from the paths of the Lord that through this confession you might know the mercy of God afresh.
Read verses 12-15. The psalmist says that when we fear the Lord, we can see the paths He makes for us through the incredible gift of friendship with Him. Look to the beauty of God, not as a distant metaphor, but as a present help and a close companion. Pause to pray this small prayer, from Robert Webber: Lord Jesus, you who came among us and dwelled with us, grant that I may walk with you and talk of you, to the glory of your name.
After reading verses 16-22, consider the paths of your day, all that you have to accomplish and complete. Whatever troubles you in that work or whatever weighs heavy on you as you work, lift these to God, who promises to guard your life and preserve you. Find rest in a moment of gratitude before a faithful God, who demonstrates His love as a faithful friend and a steadfast protector.
Finally, 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 prayer from The Book of Common Worship:
O God,
You tenderly gather your people as lambs, carrying us with your all-embracing love. Yet, like sheep, we wander from you: following our own ways, ignoring your voice, distrusting your provisions. Forgive my stubborn rebellion, my hardened heart, my lack of trust. Refresh me once again by your quiet waters of mercy and restore my soul by your redeeming love. Guide my path, that I might follow you more closely. Through Jesus Christ, the good shepherd, I pray.
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 25. 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 faithfulness. We are “prone to wander,” as the hymn says, and prayers of confession, like Psalm 25, 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 faithfulness?
How have prayer and fasting helped you in cultivating the fruit of faithfulness?
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.
