Dear Gloria Dei,
This coming Wednesday (February 18) is Ash Wednesday. Ash Wednesday marks the beginning of the forty-day season of Lent, a time of preparation leading up to the events of Holy Week and Easter.
Throughout the centuries, the church has emphasized certain disciplines during Lent as a way of focusing on our Christian faith and gaining a deeper understanding and experience of Jesus and his journey to the cross. One of the main disciplines of Lent is prayer. I know many of you already have a rich and spiritually rewarding prayer life. Yet, this season, I invite all of you to join me in a renewed emphasis on prayer. In basic terms, prayer is simply conversing with God.
As you pray, think of God as a loving, patient, kind, and forgiving parent. You are a member of God’s family. And it would be strange if family members never talked to one another. So, talk to God. And even if your prayers include seemingly trivial matters, God invites and desires for you to be in constant communication with him.
I encourage you to be specific in your prayers. Pray for health, for yourself and your loved ones. Pray for safety, security, guidance. Pray for the church, locally and around the world. Pray for pastors, leaders and congregations to boldly proclaim the Good News of Jesus. Pray for our nation and its elected officials, to act and lead with care, compassion, and the common good of all. Pray for families, yours and others. Pray for those in need. Pray for those who are hungry, physically and spiritually. Pray for farmers, for seedtime and harvest. Pray for the sick. Pray for artists and musicians. Pray for war and violence to end. Pray for God’s presence in your life and for God to use you in service to others.
In other words, pray for all things. And be sure to include prayers of thanksgiving for the many blessings God provides. And don’t forget to watch and listen for the ways in which God converses with you. His words and his handiwork are all around us. Prayer is a marvelous discipline with which to engage.
To be sure, we don’t understand everything about prayer. Certain aspects of praying to God are filled with mystery. We wonder at times why our prayers are not answered as we’d like. Or why we need to bring God our wants and needs. After all, doesn’t God know even before we ask?
Nevertheless, God invites us to talk with him constantly. The Bible says to “pray without ceasing”. Honest conversation with God is healthy for us. It brings great blessings. And I’m a firm believer that God hears our prayers and answers back to us. Prayer is effective. It changes things. And it brings about the kind of peace which passes all understanding.
God bless you and accompany you through this Lenten journey, and may your faith be strengthened through a renewed emphasis on prayer.
See you in worship,
Pastor Tim
