Lent + prayer and meditation

welcome back for another Lenten challenge and reflection! You can check out my first post on Lent + fasting here!

Week 2: Prayer and Meditation

Last week my hubby led the youth in exploring their ideas and fears about prayer. Simply put, prayer is just communication or conversation with God. But why then is it so hard? Why do we go silent when someone asks who would like to pray? Prayer can feel intimidating at times if you fear that others will make fun of you or you are not sure what to say.

Lucky for us though, Jesus leaves us a model for prayer! I am sure most of us are familiar with the Lord's Prayer from Matthew 6. Most of us recite the traditional version each Sunday in church, but I recently discovered a modern version from The Message and I really like it.

No matter which translation you read of The Lord's Prayer they all follow the same format and include the same elements. We should begin our prayers by praising God and recognizing His power and glory. We then move to asking for His will to be done, His plan to be complete (not ours mind you!) and for our needs (not our wants!) to be met. Next we ask God to forgive us for our failings and our sins and recongize that through this God models what forgiveness is so that we have the ability to forgive others. We should end our prayers with asking God to help us stay away from sin.

But we also can't forget that part of prayer is listening as well!

The challenge this week was to spend at least 15 minutes in intentional prayer each day and to spend part of that time meditating and repeating some version of The Lord's Prayer. Coincidentally our Pastor happened to  preach on meditating on scripture on the same Sunday. This was a great opportunity to use inspiration from both sources to strength my prayer life!

To be honest, I didn't find this challenge very difficult, but the rewards and benefits are still numerous. Prayer is already apart of my daily routine, a habit in my life. I like to begin each day by praying while I am in the shower and often spend the ride on the way to work or while I am running at the gym in prayer as well.  It simply just enriched my prayers to add the Lord's Prayer as part of my regular routine and was helpful in reminding me to pray for my needs and for God's will, rather than my wants and my own will.

 There are so many different directions and thoughts about prayer that I could discuss, and perhaps I will another day, but the point is prayer is a vital part of  a Christian's life. I love this quote from C.S. Lewis that talks about how prayer changes us, and I know it has been true in my own life.

So I invite you again to join me on this Lenten journey and to be intentional about your prayer life. Use The Lord's Prayer as a guide, write your own if you want, and let God change you.

Our next challenge will be Giving- check back in a few days!

Lent + fasting

Hi ya'll!

Another work week is winding down and I am finally finding time to write!

Lent began last week with Fat Tuesday and Ashe Wednesday. In honor of Fat Tuesday we enjoyed a meal of pancakes and on Wednesday we attended a short but meaningful service at our church.

Lent can be such an important and meaningful part of the year as we prepare for Christ's Resurrection on Easter. The purpose is to set aside time specifically to reflect and grow closer in intimacy with God during the 40 days before Easter (excluding Sunday's).

This year my hubby is leading his youth in a Bible study that asks them to commit to doing something different each week of Lent. I was eager to be apart of this study and I am also eager to share it with you as a series! Each week I am planning on sharing the challenge and my reflections as well.

Week 1: Fasting

So why should we fast? One very simple answer is that Jesus did it. Remember the 40 days in the wilderness? (Matthew 4:1-11) Jesus was led by the Holy Spirit to spend 40 days in fasting and prayer while he was tempted by Satan. We are also reminded of Moses' 40 days on the mountain with God and the Israelite's 40 year journey in the desert. In each of these examples of fasting in the Bible the purpose is to take away  the person's or group of people's attachment to the world and to turn their focus to God.

The Bible also tells us that fasting is not an option. Matthew 6:16-18 says "When you practice some appetite-denying discipline to better concentrate on God, don't make a production out of it. It might turn you into a small time celebrity but it won't make you a saint. If you 'go into training' inwardly, act normally outwardly. Shampoo and comb your hair, brush your teeth, wash your face. God doesn't require attention-getting devices. He won't overlook what you are doing; he'll reward you well." This verse doesn't say if you fast, it says when you fast. It also tells us that fasting isn't something to be done for show. It isn't for attention or to boost yourself - the point is self examination and dependence on God.

So what should we fast from? Generally, when you say fast most people assume food, meals, hunger. This is a great place to start, but you can also fast from other things. The youth created a list of things that they thought they just couldn't live without- things like video games, social media, sweets, TV, cell phones, coffee, internet- all things that can provide distractions from God.

The point here really isn't what you fast from, it is really about what you do instead. The youth were challenged to write down something they were going to fast from each day of the week and then write out beside it what they were going to do instead. It could be the same thing each day or something different if they chose. If you spend 1 hour watching TV then instead you might spend 1 hour reading Scripture and praying. Imagine if you did this everyday! Soon it would become habit. Or instead of buying a morning cup of coffee for yourself you saved that money and gave it to someone in need.

The week I spent fasting was much more difficult then I imagined. I chose to fast from various forms of media on different days in order to spend more time in Scipture. One day I decided that I wanted to spend time alone on a walk with God- but it rained! Without even thinking about it, media is ever present! Not to mention, it is still easy to find other things to do to fill up that space. The day without TV was soooooo quite at our house! However, my heart was certainty encouraged by the time spent in Scripture. I also found that I was able to spend more meaningful time with my hubby without so many distractions.

Fasting is a spiritual discipline I hope to make a regular part of my life. I really feel as if it would be really beneficial to my marriage as well, which was a surprising discovery. It's not too late for you to join!  :)

Check back in a few days for Week 2: Prayer and Meditation!