Our Cry of Repentance

Meditations in the Season of Lent 

March 8, 2023

Our Cry of Repentance

Psalm 51:7- 10 - Cleanse me with hyssop, and I will be clean; wash me, and I will be whiter than snow. Let me hear joy and gladness; let the bones you have crushed rejoice. Hide your face from my sins and blot out all my iniquity. Create in me a pure heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me.

Ash Wednesday was two weeks ago, February 22, and marked the beginning of the season of Lent. For my Lenten meditations, I will be reading the Epistles of James and First Peter.

Lent is a 40-day season (not counting Sundays) before Easter marked by repentance, fasting, reflection, and ultimately celebration. The 40-day period represents Christ’s time of temptation in the wilderness, where he fasted and where Satan tempted him. The season of Lent calls us to set aside time for fasting and prayer to focus on Christ’s life, ministry, sacrifice, and resurrection.

Lent has been observed since apostolic times, though the practice was not formalized until the First Council of Nicaea in 325 AD. By the end of the fourth century, the 40-day period of Easter preparation known as Lent existed, and prayer and fasting constituted its primary spiritual exercises. I invite you to pray with me:

A Prayer for Lent

Heavenly Father, have mercy on us. We have fallen short of your glory and without your mercy and grace, we have no hope. Help us, by your Holy Spirit, to receive your conviction of our sin, and lead us to truly repent for our sin. As we journey through his Lenten season, we thank you for the words of Jesus, “And be sure of this: I am with you always, even to the end of the age.”

Father, many of us still remember the mark of ashes we received two weeks ago. Thank you for the fact that those ashes do not symbolize our ultimate reality. From dust, we were formed, but our bodies, our spirits, ourselves, await beautiful redemption and the restoration of all things. Help us to long and look forward to that day, and let it come quickly, Lord Jesus. Amen.

My Takeaway: The night is dark, but there is a Light which has overcome the darkness. He is the Light of the World - he will illuminate your pathway. Place your trust in him.

Sē’lah

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(Selah is a word that appears in the Book of Psalms that I often use as the Complimentary Closing in my correspondence. Its meaning, as I use the word, is to pause and think about these things.)

 

These meditations are written by Alex M. Knight as he seeks the life in Christ as his way of life.  The meditations are published on the BLOG, http://seekingthelifeinchrist.blogspot.com/ and they are also distributed on the Constant Contact email server. You may subscribe to this email service by sending an email to: amkrom812@gmail.com.

 

Copyright © 2023 by Alex M. Knight

 

Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture quotations are taken from the Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.