Lent Meditation

Reading:

“16 Answer me, Lord, out of the goodness of your love; in your great mercy turn to me. 17 Do not hide your face from your servant; answer me quickly, for I am in trouble. 18 Come near and rescue me; deliver me because of my foes.”

                                                ~Psalm 69:16-18

(pause)

Reflecting:

1 My God, my God, why have you forsaken me? Why are you so far from saving me, so far from my cries of anguish? 16 Dogs surround me, a pack of villains encircles me; they pierce my hands and my feet.17 All my bones are on display; people stare and gloat over me.18 They divide my clothes among them and cast lots for my garment.

                                                ~Psalm 22:1, 16-18

This Psalm is a quote from Jesus as he hung on the cross. ‘Far from abandoning the Word of God when He felt abandoned by God, Jesus found the Scriptures more poignant and pertinent than ever…When God is silent, it becomes especially important to feed vicariously on the words He spoke back in the day when life was an easy conversation of two-way prayer; when the sermon seemed to be aimed at our heart, and the Bible really was the book we wanted by our bed.’ – Pete Greig

This is an excellent examination of the critical importance of the words of God. There will be times when God is silent, when we don’t hear anything, and we feel abandoned. It is at this point where we need these sweet words that soothe our soul and ease our mind.

Ask yourself:

Is there a particular Bible verse that has been meaningful to me for a long time?

Tell God: I will spend a little time exploring each word of that favorite Bible verse now, turning it into a prayer.

(pause)

Wondering

It’s normal to experience God being silent. This doesn’t mean that God is ignoring you or has abandoned you. Quite the opposite; it’s God inviting you to press into his presence to experience and explore his love, kindness, and joy.

(Personal reflection this week) Write down your favorite verse. Say it out loud and take notes on every word. What does it mean to you? How has it changed your perspective?

(pause)

Prayer: Dear God, I believe that you haven’t left me hanging or have shut me out. I believe you are near me and are inviting me to experience who you are on a deeper level. Thank you for your Holy words that inspire and warm my heart.

(pause)

Listening

A prayer by fourteenth-century spiritual guide Thomas à Kempis:

O Lord my God,do not be far from me.My God, have regard to help me.I have many thoughts and great fears afflicting my soul. How will I pass through unhurt? How will I break them to pieces? This is my hope, my one only consolation, to flee to you in every tribulation, to trust in you, to call on you from my inmost heart, and to wait patiently for your consolation.