I hope this Lenten season finds you well. As I prepare myself for this time of remembrance, self-sacrifice and desire for forgiveness, I am hopeful this season will bring fresh life.
The “Upper Room” devotional has this to say about Lent:

Thus says the Lord , the God of Israel, “Write in a book all the words that I have spoken to you.”

– Jeremiah 30:2 (NRSV)

Today’s Devotional

This passage from Jeremiah reminds me how short our memories can be. Jeremiah speaks to the people on behalf of the Lord in a time of upheaval. But before giving Jeremiah the message, God tells the prophet, “Write this down.” Surely the people would not forget these powerful words of hope coming to them at a time of such deep grief, fear, and pain!

Yet in peace or prosperity, we can quickly forget the trials of the past. This forgetting is dangerous, however, because it allows us to think we’re self-sufficient and in control of our lives. Sometimes even in despair and suffering we can forget as well — forget the hope and the assurance from God that our present situation is not the end.

The season of Lent comes each year as a time to help us remember. We reflect on our God who in Christ knows what it is to suffer and who meets us in our suffering to offer us hope. Discipleship is about remembering — remembering that to follow God is to hear the cries of those who are suffering and to offer hope that only God can bring, to remember that peace is not something we achieve on our own. May this Lent be such a time for each of us.

I hope you will join with me and countless others around the world who share our Faith to remember the reason we observe this season of Lent and Easter.
I am hopeful for what this season will bring in my life and cannot wait to hear what it brings in yours.

-Selah