Lent daybook, 39: my life is spent with sorrow

My Lent daybook for these 40 days of prayer. Join me, won't you? (see previous Lent daybook 2016 posts here)

.....

look

Black Crucifixion
Fritz Eichenberg, 1963
source

.....

read

Psalm 31:9-16

9 Be gracious to me, O Lord, for I am in distress;
    my eye is wasted from grief;
    my soul and my body also.
10 For my life is spent with sorrow,
    and my years with sighing;
my strength fails because of my iniquity,
    and my bones waste away.

11 Because of all my adversaries I have become a reproach,
    especially to my neighbors,
and an object of dread to my acquaintances;
    those who see me in the street flee from me.
12 I have been forgotten like one who is dead;
    I have become like a broken vessel.
13 For I hear the whispering of many—
    terror on every side!—
as they scheme together against me,
    as they plot to take my life.

14 But I trust in you, O Lord;
    I say, “You are my God.”
15 My times are in your hand;
    rescue me from the hand of my enemies and from my persecutors!
16 Make your face shine on your servant;
    save me in your steadfast love!

all readings for the day: Psalm 31:9-16; Leviticus 23:1-8; Luke 22:1-13

.....

pray

• Sisters and brothers,
  as Jesus, in the days before his passion,
  offered prayers and supplications with loud cries and tears,
  let us pray for those who suffer, those who are in need,
  and those who seek reconciliation.
  
  Include prayers here for your family, friends, neighborhood and the world.  
  
  God of compassion,
  you know our faults and yet you promised to forgive.
  Keep us in your presence and give us your wisdom.
  Open our hearts to gladness,
  call dry bones to dance,
  and restore to us the joy of your salvation. Amen. (source)

.....
listen

Fix Me, Jesus by American Spiritual Ensemble

( I invite you to listen with me to my ever-evolving Lent playlist & Lent Spirituals playlist )

.....

do

Using the guide below, take time today to examine your heart and look for meaningful ways to put your faith into practice.

#1 Prayer of Self Examination

Search me, O God, and know my heart!

Try me and know my thoughts!

And see if there be any grievous way in me,

and lead me in the way everlasting! (Psalm 139:23-24)

Take a moment to quiet your heart and reflect upon the past week. Look especially for ways to express gratitude and thanksgiving to God for his goodness and love, as well as genuine sorrow over your own sin and brokenness. Close this time of prayer by expressing your hope in the power of the Holy Spirit who is faithful to forgive, cleanse, and transform you into his likeness (2 Cor. 3:18). (source)

......

(see all Lent daybook posts from 2015 here)

Lent daybook, 34: let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering

My Lent daybook for these 40 days of prayer. Join me, won't you? (see previous Lent daybook 2016 posts here)

.....

look & listen

The Apostle's Creed from Faith Church on Vimeo.

( I invite you to listen with me to my ever-evolving Lent playlist & Lent Spirituals playlist )

.....

read

Hebrews 10:19-25

Therefore, brothers, since we have confidence to enter the holy places by the blood of Jesus, by the new and living way that he opened for us through the curtain, that is, through his flesh, and since we have a great priest over the house of God, let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, with our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water.  Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for he who promised is faithful.  And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works,  not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near.

all readings for the day: Psalm 20; Exodus 40:1-15; Hebrews 10:19-25

.....

pray

Almighty God, you alone can bring into order the unruly wills and affections of sinners: Grant your people grace to love what you command and desire what you promise; that, among the swift and varied changes of the world, our hearts may surely there be fixed where true joys are to be found; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen. (source)

.....

do

Try to spend a day without spending money. Let each choice to not buy remind you of what you could not purchase: your pardon. (40 Days of Decrease)

......

(see all Lent daybook posts from 2015 here)

Lent Daybook, 21: man as a shadow

My Lent daybook for these 40 days of prayer. Join me, won't you? (see previous Lent daybook 2016 posts here)

.....

look

 A photograph of a soldier’s shadow left as a trace on a wooden wall in Nagasaki after the atomic bomb hit. Tate Modern exhibit: Conflict, Time, Photography (2014)  source

.....

read

Psalm 39:1-6

I said, “I will guard my ways,
    that I may not sin with my tongue;
I will guard my mouth with a muzzle,
    so long as the wicked are in my presence.”
 I was mute and silent;
    I held my peace to no avail,
and my distress grew worse.
     My heart became hot within me.
As I mused, the fire burned;
    then I spoke with my tongue:

 “O Lord, make me know my end
    and what is the measure of my days;
    let me know how fleeting I am!
 Behold, you have made my days a few handbreadths,
    and my lifetime is as nothing before you.
Surely all mankind stands as a mere breath! Selah
     Surely a man goes about as a shadow!
Surely for nothing they are in turmoil; man heaps up wealth and does not know who will gather!

all readings for the day: Psalm 39; Ezekiel 17:1-10; Romans 2:12-16

.....

pray

Pray this Confession of Sin, and accept the loving forgiveness God provides us through Christ and by His Spirit.

Almighty and most merciful Father, we are thankful that your mercy is higher than the heavens, wider than our wanderings, deeper than all our sin. Forgive our careless attitudes toward your purposes, our refusal to relieve the suffering of others, our envy of those who have more than we have, our obsession with creating a life of constant pleasure, our indifference to the treasures of heaven, our neglect of your wise and gracious law. Help us to change our way of life so that we may desire what is good, love what you love and do what you command, through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. (source)

.....

listen

And Am I Born To Die by Bela Fleck

( I invite you to listen with me to my ever-evolving Lent playlist & Lent Spirituals playlist )

.....

do

Using the guide below, take time today to examine your heart and look for meaningful ways to put your faith into practice. 

#1 Prayer of Self Examination

Search me, O God, and know my heart!Try me and know my thoughts!And see if there be any grievous way in me,and lead me in the way everlasting! (Psalm 139:23-24)

Take a moment to quiet your heart and reflect upon the past week. Look especially for ways to express gratitude and thanksgiving to God for his goodness and love, as well as genuine sorrow over your own sin and brokenness. Close this time of prayer by expressing your hope in the power of the Holy Spirit who is faithful to forgive, cleanse, and transform you into his likeness (2 Cor. 3:18). source

......

(see all Lent daybook posts from 2015 here)

Lent Daybook, 20: God is kind, but he's not soft

My Lent daybook for these 40 days of prayer. Join me, won't you? (see previous Lent daybook 2016 posts here)

.....

look

The Ladder of Divine Ascent
Saint Catherine's Monastery
source

.....

read

Psalm 39:7-13 / Romans 2:1-8 (MSG)

“What am I doing in the meantime, Lord?
    Hoping, that’s what I’m doing—hoping
You’ll save me from a rebel life,
    save me from the contempt of dunces.
I’ll say no more, I’ll shut my mouth,
    since you, Lord, are behind all this.
    But I can’t take it much longer.
When you put us through the fire
    to purge us from our sin,
    our dearest idols go up in smoke.
Are we also nothing but smoke?

“Ah, God, listen to my prayer, my
    cry—open your ears.
Don’t be callous;
    just look at these tears of mine.
I’m a stranger here. I don’t know my way—
    a migrant like my whole family.
Give me a break, cut me some slack
    before it’s too late and I’m out of here.” /

Those people are on a dark spiral downward. But if you think that leaves you on the high ground where you can point your finger at others, think again. Every time you criticize someone, you condemn yourself. It takes one to know one. Judgmental criticism of others is a well-known way of escaping detection in your own crimes and misdemeanors. But God isn’t so easily diverted. He sees right through all such smoke screens and holds you to what you’ve done. 

You didn’t think, did you, that just by pointing your finger at others you would distract God from seeing all your misdoings and from coming down on you hard? Or did you think that because he’s such a nice God, he’d let you off the hook? Better think this one through from the beginning. God is kind, but he’s not soft. In kindness he takes us firmly by the hand and leads us into a radical life-change. 

You’re not getting by with anything. Every refusal and avoidance of God adds fuel to the fire. The day is coming when it’s going to blaze hot and high, God’s fiery and righteous judgment. Make no mistake: In the end you get what’s coming to you—Real Life for those who work on God’s side, but to those who insist on getting their own way and take the path of least resistance, Fire! 

all readings for the day: Psalm 39;  Jeremiah 11:1-17; Romans 2:1-11

.....

pray

Almighty God, you know that we have no power in ourselves to help ourselves: Keep us both outwardly in our bodies and inwardly in our souls, that we may be defended from all adversities which may happen to the body, and from all evil thoughts which may assault and hurt the soul; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen. (source)

.....

listen

Poor Wayfaring Stranger by Red Mountain Church

( I invite you to listen with me to my ever-evolving Lent playlist & Lent Spirituals playlist )

.....

do

Fast from a meal today. During the time you would have been eating, sit quietly and pray the Jesus Prayer. ("Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on us.")

......

(see all Lent daybook posts from 2015 here)