Lent, 2024: Lent Week 3
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 19.
Be still and know. Civilization is littered with unsolved problems, baffling impasses. The best minds of the world are at the end of their tether. The most knowledgeable observers of our condition are badly frightened. The most relevant contribution that Christians make at these points of impasse is the act of prayer—determined, repeated, leisurely meetings with the personal and living God. New life is conceived in these meetings.
EUGENE PETERSON
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 Clement of Rome:
Almighty Father,
Grant us, we pray, to be grounded and settled in your truth by the coming down of the Holy Spirit into our hearts. That which we know not, reveal; that which is wanting in us, fill up; that which we know, confirm; and keep us blameless in your service; through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Amen.
Take time to read through Psalm 19 in its entirety, pausing between the sections indicated below to seek God in specific ways through its words and invitations:
Read verses 1-6. The Psalm opens by directing our attention outward, to Creation. The heavens and the earth that God formed with His Word are continuing to speak. And notice, their speech is not the speech of being bored of routine or the grumbling of someone forced into labor. Their speech is a reflection of their Source, and it is filled with delight. Just as there is beauty in the uniqueness of a sunset, there is beauty in the order of the seasons and times of day. This morning, you woke up in an active story of God’s goodness. If you lose the plotline, the creation itself can point you back to it. The world in which you live, despite all its groaning, is still a world created by a God of joy and abundance. Pray verses 1-6 again.
Read verses 7-10. The very rhythms of creation began with the spoken words (or “instruction”) of God. Here, the Psalmist turns his attention to the great honor it is that God has not just given instruction (Torah) to the heavens, but to you and me – the human beings who bear God’s image. And like the beauty that comes from creation’s response to the words of God, there is a beauty that begins to form in us as we listen and respond to God’s Word, which is revealed ultimately in the Person of Jesus. Like Mary, we are invited to treasure in our hearts the things that God has spoken. Over time, not only will we begin to be changed by what we savor, but we will begin to savor it even more. Pray verses 7-10 again.
Read verses 11-14. After reflecting on the grandeur of God and the formative power of his Word, the prayer turns inward. The Spirit of God indwells the people of God, leading them into all truth. As we pray, the lies that run rampant in our souls start to get exposed and confronted by God’s light. This is for our good, so that we might be transformed to live more truly – to experience and be characterized by more goodness. In light of how far we have to go, this can be daunting. But we are not the ones sustaining this healing work. We are invited into this far-reaching story of hope and healing and resurrection. We are invited to be shaped by the words of God, and, just as the heavens do, proclaim His glory merely by being ourselves. This is where this sense of awe at God’s good world and God’s good Word can lead us – into he humility to pray for a genuine self-knowledge and then turn in a new direction, empowered by God’s gracious presence. God is the One who has to search the heart and cleanse us. This is not a one-off event. It’s an ongoing journey. But the result is ultimately more of God’s goodness.
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:
Eternal God,
Your kingdom has broken into our troubled world through the life, death, and resurrection of your Son. Help us to hear your word and obey it, that we may become instruments of your saving love; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever.
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 22. 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 goodness. God doesn’t paint pictures of goodness to leave us intimidated by a life we’ll never be able to obtain. He comes to us in our weakness and need, longing to do the work of new creation. There is a hope for goodness that remains steadily on the horizon because God Himself holds it for us. 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 goodness?
How have prayer and fasting helped you in cultivating the fruit of goodness?
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.
