Daily Devotionals for the Sixth Week of Lent

As perpetual leaders-in-training, we are called to go into battle against sin and temptation (Ps. 20:1-5). Even after our baptism, we endure suffering from temptation (Heb. 10:32). We meditate on the Lord at all times, but especially in times of temptation, so that He might remember us and give us the readiness to act (Ps. 20:4).

God gives us the garments to conquer sin and death, but we must put them on (Ex. 40:13). Through our baptism, He has soaked us with water that cleans our bodies and drenched us with the love, mercy, and forgiveness that cleans our consciences. Put on the garments of His forgiveness as Aaron was clothed in the vestments of the priesthood (Ex. 40:13). As Aaron approached the sanctuary with a heart full of trust in the Lord, we must also approach the Lord with a sincere heart full of trust which reflects our confidence in His omnipotence to conquer sin and death (Ex. 40:15; Heb. 10:22).  When He has conquered temptation through you, don’t forget to shout out to Him with joy and praise, because all the glory for conquering sin is His! (Ps. 20:6)

Let the cleansing blood and water of his forgiveness overflow from His precious side in your lives this Lenten season. Let it flow freely and confidently into the hearts of everyone with whom you interact, so that you might arouse one another into love and good works (Heb. 10:24).

Habakkuk the prophet outlines the awesome nature of the wrath of God in his vision. Chapter 3 contains a description of a God who is glorious and mighty, eternally just and powerful. The whole of creation is subject to His power, for it is He who made it. While Habakkuk trembles in His presence, just as the mountains do, he recounts the mighty deeds of a God who overcomes the “leader of the land of wickedness.” Though it seems that God’s wrath is directed at the earth and the sea, Habakkuk shows that God’s wrath is the vehicle of salvation for His chosen people, His “anointed ones.”

This wrath, this awesome power of God, is the very wrath that was poured out upon Jesus at the time of his death. It is the price that had to be paid for man’s rebellion against God, the cause of our separation from our Creator. When Jesus gave his life, in accordance with the will of God, He overcame the wicked leader that was mentioned in the text, defeating death and rescuing the souls of man from eternal damnation and separation from God’s goodness. We are blessed as Christians to be able to see the wrath of God in a different light after the sacrifice of Jesus. God’s wrath through Jesus’ sacrifice destroys the power of the Devil and allows us to be made whole again.

Since we know that we have been saved from the power of the Evil One, we must understand that he no longer has any power over us. We have the power, through the sacrifice of Jesus, to ward off his attacks and attempts to lead us astray. What areas of our lives do we continue to give to the “leader of the land of wickedness?” We must repent of our sins, and turn to the One who can cleanse us, turn to the One who created us.

Lord, in this season as we remember the sacrifice of your Son Jesus on our behalf, we understand that we are fallen and helpless without You. Thank you for giving us a Savior who can avert your wrath that was focused on us and who can help us overcome the power of the Evil One. Allow us to grow in wisdom and stature and in favor with You and those around us in this season of remembrance. Amen!

Run to what is True and Pure. Do not be bullied by pain or grief. Grief is a part of God’s plan. Pain is fundamental to the life of all people, but especially to those in Christ. Why? Because we are called to be like Christ, and Christ Himself was made to suffer pain. Isaiah 53 points out that the love of God for us crushed His Son. It is that act of love, that anguish, that grief that is part of our sanctification. Hebrews 2 makes it even clearer that Christ went to the cross because His death was our deliverance, verse 10: “…make the founder of their salvation perfect through suffering.”

So, Christian, run to this truth. Sing this to yourself at night, in the morning, on the way to work: Christ’s death and pain means that all of your pain is redeemed. That was the plan and that is what happened. In Psalm 31, David is pouring out his pain to God. His pain is drowning him.

His pain is real. The cross does not mean your pain is imaginary, it means your pain is doing something.

Pain shows you weakness. Your need is laid bare in moments of pain and struggle. Let that weakness come out into the light for you to see. It’s ugly. It may slap you in the face and leave you speechless; Christ is there with you anyway. He is not surprised. Do not hide from that kind of pain. Christ did not, and His past suffering is the reason we have hope. Pain makes you rely on something or someone other than yourself. This is good when it pushes you to Christ. He is there. He is waiting, and His arm is not short and He is not mocked.

Pain has a way of focusing us. It can be hard to reflect on pleasurable things. It is good that what is wrong can bring pain, it makes us think. But more than that, pain makes you think about the cost. Not all good things are griefless, either. Life is costly. Love is costly. God named that price definitively when he sent His Son to the cross. Isaiah 53 spells that out for us. The best part is that Christ redeems it all. Every grief, every pain, every suffering for His sake. It’s His too. He bought it (Heb 2:18).

LORD God, bless You for your costly love. Thank you for making suffering about Your Son and Your glory and not merely about the pain. Thank you that my grief has been purchased in blood. Put this in my heart day by day. Father, help me to grow in my understanding of You this Lenten season. Give me grace to love others, to forgive as I am forgiven, and to bless those who cause my suffering. To You be the glory. Amen!

There is something truly special about perseverance. To overcome a struggle, or state of anguish and become a renewed person with Christ is one of the purest expressions of beauty.

Life is full of struggles and dark days but faith has the power to remove the darkest thoughts and replace them with Christ’s unfailing love. You may feel like Christ has disappeared or abandoned you, but I assure you this is not the case. You must trust in the Lord and believe that His master plan will work. The Lord knows that you must have a little rain in your life to produce the most vibrant rainbows. There is always a purpose for every struggle in life.

Personally, I have learned a cornucopia of new things about myself through my struggles in life. I learned to reflect on my actions, and through an honest reflection, I could see what God had in store for me. I became selfless and I had a passion to help others. I persevered. The bliss and satisfaction that comes through perseverance and trust in the Lord is beautiful. If you are struggling, know that there are a multitude of people willing to help you. God has placed His instruments all throughout your life, and you must seek them out. I ask you to never give up. The entire world could be weighing on your shoulders, but God only gives you this struggle, because he knows that you can overcome it. God made you in his image, and you are special. You possess amazing powers and can change the world but you cannot give up. The mountain that you are climbing is steep, but the view from the top makes it all worthwhile. The Lord will take your hand and deliver you from the hands of your enemies. You must trust. You must believe. You will persevere. I believe in you, and I am praying for you! The world is your oyster, now go out and find your pearls. Have a blessed and splendid day!

Dear God, I am struggling. I need a saving grace. I need You. Right now, I feel like my world is crumbling around me and I am lost. I am coming to you with my burdens, struggles, and troubles. Renew my spirit in you and give me new strength. Let your love set me free and allow me to grow through you in spirit. Give me the strength, confidence, and ultimately hope to conquer my greatest fears and troubles. I am confident, that with You, I will find inner peace and grace. Amen!

David, in this Psalm, finds himself in a place of distress and deep despair. He finds himself in a discouraging place, fearful for his life. However, despite how dark his fear is, he still finds strength to cast himself on the grace and mercy of God. In the midst of this praying Psalm, David stumbles upon a glimmer of hope. That hope is the fact that “by covenant, he expects the Lord to act.” What a great lesson for us to learn during this Lenten season! Our covenant with God, through his Son Jesus, obligates God to respond to our prayers. In fact, our covenant is like an insurance policy because it guarantees coverage in our time of need. Therefore, as we rise from the ashes of our own personal dark place, let us remember that there is no place God can’t reach us. As it is written in Psalm 139:8, even if we make our bed in Sheol (the depths of hell), God will be there.

David, through this lament, poured out his heart to God, but never lost heart. He somehow found hope in an unusual place, a dark place. It was there that he continued to look for the light.

Dear Lord, help us to see Your light in our own dark places. Help us to have hope and trust in You. Give us strength to abstain throughout this Lenten season as we deny ourselves to draw closer to You. Be our peace and guide. In Jesus’ name. Amen!

In the reading of our Lord’s Passion during Holy Week, we can see illustrated for us what is meant by the “Mind of Christ”. The mind of Christ was the moving force behind the suffering that he endured for our salvation. In our world, influenced as we are by the language and concepts of Freudian Psychology, the “mind” is often portrayed in a bad light: it is a murky place, the location of repressed desires. Occasionally the darkness of the subconscious mind breaks out into reality in the form of antisocial or dangerous behavior. However, we see from Christ’s Passion that the mind of Christ is a beautiful mind. It is a mind of humility and of divine love. The very essence of the Holy Trinity is Divine Love and by this Love he was willing to lay aside His glory and enter our world.

Our Lord came in this way in order to win men’s loyalty by the glory of love and by that alone. Entering Jerusalem, he was received by acclamation rather than by proclamation. If these were to keep silent, the very stones would cry out. Having shared our human nature and all the outward circumstances of our lives, He further humbled himself to the ultimate test of humanity, which is death. In his death on a cross, He shared the terrible fate of any poor man who has been unjustly convicted. Yet, Christ’s humility is the cause for His exaltation by those who love him. It is the sign of a true King that he appears “Kingly” even when he lays aside his crown and the trappings of power. When Christ left the throne of heaven to do his work on earth, He won an empire of human hearts. Christians have been given the opportunity to hear again the story of his Passion during Holy Week and to understand the mind of Christ. To know Him is to love Him, and may his mind come to be in us, as well

Almighty and ever living God, in your tender love for the human race you sent your Son our Savior Jesus Christ to take upon himself our nature and to suffer death upon the cross, giving us the example of His great humility: Mercifully grant that we may walk in the way of His suffering, and also share in His resurrection; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen! 

(From The Book of Common Prayer)