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Hey everybody. I’m starting a journey this week, a journey into the Lenten season. I started doing Lent-type things in the early 2000’s because I wanted to experience spiritual spring cleaning. Lent is an old Saxon word meaning Springtime and has been around for over 2000 years. Lent was a period where early observers would begin to prepare themselves for Easter. If people have been doing this for so long and it has been helpful for them, I figure I should listen to them!
I am inviting you to go with me into a season of “deep cleaning” with me in this Lenton season.
Fasting is part of Lent.
- Let go of something in order to take up something else.
- To fast is to slow down. For these weeks leading up to Easter, set aside this time to let the Lord work deeply in you. For no other reason than to draw you closer to Him, to be restored in Him.
Focus:
- Repentance, Turning to the Lord
- Renewing our mind
- Renovating our heart
A few tools we will use:
- The Lenten Prayer of St. Ephrem
- The Daily Office from the Book of Common Prayer
The Lenten Prayer of St. Ephrem:
O Lord and Master of my life!
Take from me the spirit of sloth, faint-heartedness, lust for power, and idle talk.
But give rather the spirit of chastity, humility, patience and love to Your servant.
Yes, O Lord and King! Grant me to see my own errors and not to judge my brother; For You are blessed unto ages of ages. Amen.
Ephrem lived between 306-379. He was a prolific author of hymns and scriptural commentaries, earning him titles like “The Harp of the Spirit,” and “Pillar of the Church.”
He wrote a prayer that is still used today during Lent. It has stood the test of time and experience.
O Lord and Master of My Life!
Take from me the spirit of sloth, faintheartedness
Lust for power, and idle talk.
Give rather the spirit of chastity, humility,
Patience and love to Your servant.
Yes, O Lord and King!
Grant me to see my own error
And not to judge my brother.
For You are blessed unto ages of ages. Amen.
The prayer expresses submission, supplication, and surrender.
My journey to wholeness in Christ begins with my submission to His Lordship. “O Lord and Master of my life.”
Prayer is the catalyst igniting the memory and knowledge of my redeemed status: I have been bought with a price. I am redeemed from slavery to death and sin. Now, I am joyfully a slave of Christ. He is my Lord, Master, and King. I, a slave of Christ, am the freest of men. The price of my redemption was paid. My purpose was secured through Him. I have been purchased, and I have been purposed.
Encountering the Living God I cry out from my broken human condition, “Take from me the spirit of sloth, faintheartedness, lust for power, and idle talk.”
“Take from me…” Wrench it from my secret grip. Twist and extract this malignant growth from the interior of my soul. This is my plea. This is my supplication.
You, my Sovereign Lord and Master, must take it from me, for I am unable to lay it down of my own will and power.
I surrender my darkness: the wreckage of my own ways, the dust and chaos of my exhausted soul. These I surrender. They are not treasures for you nor are they jewels for your crown. They are stains. Human stains. Take them from me.
Daily Practice:
- Prayer and Devotional Reading using The Book of Common Prayer (or whatever you use)
- The Lenten Prayer of St Ephrem
- Journaling can be helpful
- During prayer, a “little seed” or thought may come to the surface, follow it.
Recommended Resources
If you’re enjoying this podcast, spread the word by sharing it with your friends and leaving a review on iTunes. I encourage you to send me your feedback or suggestions for an interview. Help me help you. You can email me at jroper@foursquare.org, or direct message me on Facebook. You can also submit any feedback or questions here. Don’t forget to subscribe to the podcast in iTunes or Stitcher so you don’t miss an episode.
As always, you can connect with me on Facebook or Twitter. It’s your life, now go live it!
I am among the more than two dozen missionaries supported by the Foursquare Missions International Global Missions Fund. To support our global missions efforts, visit The Global Missions Fund.
Post may contain affiliate links. All proceeds are used to support the missions work. Thanks for listening!
Debbie and I serve as the FMI Global Associate Director for MENACA and Europe. We focus on cultivating disciples, leaders, and church planting movements.
